Jeff O Rocks
01-23-2004, 08:52 AM
If this had happened to me, I would be so friggin pissed off!! :mad: :mad: The Thrasher fans treated us like family compared to this..
RALEIGH--While the Carolina Panthers plotted strategy before playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, four young men in Panthers gear huddled in a Philadelphia hotel room and made a plan for meeting the Philadelphia Eagles' fans.
The Panthers won. The four Panthers fans did not.
The four men from Raleigh, all 22, knew following their team into the Eagles' nest would be a dicey adventure. An element of the Eagles' fan base is famously unruly and known to be famously unfriendly.
That's why they made a plan before leaving their Philadelphia hotel and taking the Broad Street subway to Lincoln Financial Field.
One of the Panthers fans, Jason Forehand, a former East Carolina football lineman, led the pregame meeting.
"We knew that it was going to be a rough environment. We knew there was going to be a lot of trash talk, and we were prepared for that," he said. "I said, 'Guys, we're going into hostile territory. We're going to get a win and get the hell out of here.' "
They got the win. Getting out of there was another matter.
They didn't mind the crude heckling on the subway or the abuse once they took their seats in the upper deck without any other Panthers fans in sight. But when the Panthers scored first in the second quarter, fans higher up rained beer, peanuts and taunts.
Stadium security told the four they needed to leave their seats and would be given seats at the club level. They were led around the stadium, but the stadium staff could not locate open seats.
Meanwhile, having spent $1,820 for four tickets, $130 for a hotel room, and driven more than 400 miles from Raleigh, the four fans missed seeing the rest of the game.
As they waited in a concession area for their new seats, Forehand said he was approached by a police officer. The officer said a woman had accused him of spitting at her and striking her in the stomach. Forehand was bewildered. So were his friends.
"He didn't hit that girl. We had never even seen her," said David Ritchie, an N.C. State student who was part of Forehand's group, along with Cody Wallace and Justin Woolard.
Forehand, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 300 pounds, doesn't think it was a case of mistaken identity. He thinks the young woman and her male companion made the allegation to get him thrown out.
"This was a malicious act on her part," Forehand said.
Police took Forehand to a cell in the stadium jail and then moved him to a downtown jail. He was held for 23 hours. His bed was a concrete slab. His Philadelphia hosts fed him not cheesesteaks but a cold cheese sandwich he didn't eat.
Forehand said he heard the police joking that they had "one of those Panther boys" in the cell. "They were pretty pleased to have me in there," he said.
Forehand was released on his own recognizance after his father retained a Philadelphia lawyer, Jeffrey Azzarano. He is due to go back to Philadelphia for a hearing on Feb. 26.
"Just from being down at the Eagles' games, the story he tells doesn't sound all that outrageous," Azzarano said. "It sounds like the kid is getting jammed."
Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the police report is not yet available and he wouldn't comment on the matter until he saw it. But he provided a statement from Eagles president Joe Banner that said he was aware of problems with fan behavior toward visitors and that the Eagles had made efforts to protect Panthers fans before the game.
Jill Porter, a columnist with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote before the game that a few bad fans probably would do more damage to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation.
She was right. Even Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was heckled to the point that he left the NFC championship game with a police escort.
"Whether the Birds win or lose on Sunday, one thing is almost certain: The city will have to contend with the monkey on its back," said Porter, a Daily News writer for 25 years. "By that I don't mean the outcome of the game, but the goon fans -- the infamous vulgarians who spoil whatever good publicity the city gets by crossing the line from booster to boor and intimidating the opposing team's supporters."
Foreman hopes tapes from the stadium's security cameras will show he didn't assault anyone. Meanwhile, he's on a campaign to stop Philadelphia's offense.
"If I can give back to the game by putting a stop to this kind of thing, that's what I'm going to do," he said. "If I can prevent it from happening to anybody else in Philadelphia or any other stadium, I will. You should be able to go on the road and support your team."
Philadelphia didn't deal well with the Carolina upset. Maybe it will do better for an upset Carolinian.
RALEIGH--While the Carolina Panthers plotted strategy before playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, four young men in Panthers gear huddled in a Philadelphia hotel room and made a plan for meeting the Philadelphia Eagles' fans.
The Panthers won. The four Panthers fans did not.
The four men from Raleigh, all 22, knew following their team into the Eagles' nest would be a dicey adventure. An element of the Eagles' fan base is famously unruly and known to be famously unfriendly.
That's why they made a plan before leaving their Philadelphia hotel and taking the Broad Street subway to Lincoln Financial Field.
One of the Panthers fans, Jason Forehand, a former East Carolina football lineman, led the pregame meeting.
"We knew that it was going to be a rough environment. We knew there was going to be a lot of trash talk, and we were prepared for that," he said. "I said, 'Guys, we're going into hostile territory. We're going to get a win and get the hell out of here.' "
They got the win. Getting out of there was another matter.
They didn't mind the crude heckling on the subway or the abuse once they took their seats in the upper deck without any other Panthers fans in sight. But when the Panthers scored first in the second quarter, fans higher up rained beer, peanuts and taunts.
Stadium security told the four they needed to leave their seats and would be given seats at the club level. They were led around the stadium, but the stadium staff could not locate open seats.
Meanwhile, having spent $1,820 for four tickets, $130 for a hotel room, and driven more than 400 miles from Raleigh, the four fans missed seeing the rest of the game.
As they waited in a concession area for their new seats, Forehand said he was approached by a police officer. The officer said a woman had accused him of spitting at her and striking her in the stomach. Forehand was bewildered. So were his friends.
"He didn't hit that girl. We had never even seen her," said David Ritchie, an N.C. State student who was part of Forehand's group, along with Cody Wallace and Justin Woolard.
Forehand, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 300 pounds, doesn't think it was a case of mistaken identity. He thinks the young woman and her male companion made the allegation to get him thrown out.
"This was a malicious act on her part," Forehand said.
Police took Forehand to a cell in the stadium jail and then moved him to a downtown jail. He was held for 23 hours. His bed was a concrete slab. His Philadelphia hosts fed him not cheesesteaks but a cold cheese sandwich he didn't eat.
Forehand said he heard the police joking that they had "one of those Panther boys" in the cell. "They were pretty pleased to have me in there," he said.
Forehand was released on his own recognizance after his father retained a Philadelphia lawyer, Jeffrey Azzarano. He is due to go back to Philadelphia for a hearing on Feb. 26.
"Just from being down at the Eagles' games, the story he tells doesn't sound all that outrageous," Azzarano said. "It sounds like the kid is getting jammed."
Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the police report is not yet available and he wouldn't comment on the matter until he saw it. But he provided a statement from Eagles president Joe Banner that said he was aware of problems with fan behavior toward visitors and that the Eagles had made efforts to protect Panthers fans before the game.
Jill Porter, a columnist with the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote before the game that a few bad fans probably would do more damage to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation.
She was right. Even Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was heckled to the point that he left the NFC championship game with a police escort.
"Whether the Birds win or lose on Sunday, one thing is almost certain: The city will have to contend with the monkey on its back," said Porter, a Daily News writer for 25 years. "By that I don't mean the outcome of the game, but the goon fans -- the infamous vulgarians who spoil whatever good publicity the city gets by crossing the line from booster to boor and intimidating the opposing team's supporters."
Foreman hopes tapes from the stadium's security cameras will show he didn't assault anyone. Meanwhile, he's on a campaign to stop Philadelphia's offense.
"If I can give back to the game by putting a stop to this kind of thing, that's what I'm going to do," he said. "If I can prevent it from happening to anybody else in Philadelphia or any other stadium, I will. You should be able to go on the road and support your team."
Philadelphia didn't deal well with the Carolina upset. Maybe it will do better for an upset Carolinian.