Punches thrown between fans, Corpus Christi players
Published Sunday, May 25, 2008
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Stumble It!In the end, all anyone could agree upon is that it’s really lucky no one got hurt.
Other than that, those who saw the fight that rocked the third quarter of the Fairbanks Grizzlies’ 77-54 loss to the Corpus Christi Hammerheads Saturday at the Carlson Center didn’t see eye to eye.
The incident started with what players and fans nearby termed an “unruly fan,” who had been heckling the Hammerheads all game. In the third quarter, the fan moved from near the end zone to behind Corpus Christi’s bench.
According to fan accounts, the unruly fan — who reportedly had a young child nearby — was verbally sparring with the Hammerheads, then ended up becoming further agitated and threw the first punch.
That brought Corpus Christi players leaping into the stands and Fairbanks players and security guards running to break it up.
Security guards eventually broke up the melee and the fan was escorted from the Carlson Center.
Corpus Christi’s Nathaniel Dunn, who was in the center of the action, said things started to escalate when the unruly fan threw his beer at a player.
Hammerheads and Grizzlies owner Chad Dittman said it was something that never should have happened — no matter what the fan did.
“The main thing is, we’re here for the safety of the the fans,” Dittman said. “I see players in the stands, I don’t care whose fault it is. I want them out. We’re fortunate no one got hurt.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Grizzlies coach John Fourcade, who was trying to call a play into his offense when the fight broke out.
“No fan should ever cross over the barrier. But on the flip side, a player should never go in the stands,” he said.
Dunn said that the players had to protect themselves.
“He (the fan) was just talking smack all game. He took it too far — he threw a beer at us,” Dunn said. “We had to do what we had to do. We’re thousands of miles from home and we’ve got to protect ourselves. We’ve got to be careful.”
Dunn emphasized that the Hammerheads weren’t the instigators.
“Our team reacted,” he said. “(The fan) started throwing stuff. He threw a punch. We’ve got to react to that. We’ve got to protect ourselves.”
The sudden action in the stands took most of the players — as well as the fans — by surprise.
Out on the field with the Fairbanks offense, wide receiver Anthony Parks jumped into the stands to try and break up the fight.
“I don’t know too much about it,” Parks said. “I was trying to keep our fans safe. I don’t want them hurt. Both sides should be embarrassed.”
Dittman said the team would review tape of the incident and decide what punishment should be dolled out. The owner also apologized to the fans before play resumed and told them that, if they took their ticket from Saturday’s game to the Grizzlies’ office, they could receive tickets to Fairbanks’ June 7 game against the Alaska Wild for just $1.
“We’re going to sit down more as an organization, get all the stories and make sure we have all the information,” Dittman said. “We’re going to talk to coaches, fans, staff.
“We’re going to figure out whose fault it was and we’re going to take precautions so that it doesn’t happen again.”
Community Discussion
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I was in the stands watching the game, and I definitely agree that it was rather chaotic. A little girl next to me got pushed down in the rush, and was absolutely crying her eyes out. I'll always remember where I was when I saw the Pistons-Pacers fight and although this incident wasn't quite as severe (thankfully!), I think I'll remember it for a long while yet.
Yes, I was there to. I applaud the Carlson Center staff for jumping into an ugly scene and defusing it before anyone got hurt... Way to go guys!
I witnessed several fights at the Trace Adkins concert as well, and they all have the same thing in common....ALCOHOL! Maybe the Carlson Center should stop serving it altogether. Until we as a community can prove that we can hold our alcohol, or we could wait until somebody gets seriously hurt due to a couple a young people who can’t compose themselves in public.
They need to have the plexi up and around the player boxes to prevent the fans from having access to the players. Althuogh I would agree that it wasnt right for the players to go into the stands, The CC, Grizzlies, and Chad Dittman should all be embarressed that they didnt protect the players from a out of control fan. There is no way that a fan should be able to get close enough to a player during a game to throw a punch
The Carlson Center needs to start checking the fans Ticket stubs better and start limiting access to the lower deck from fans who seats are not on the lower level.(especially on the beer side)But in the fans defence the hammerheads where taunting and showing poor sportsmenship from their opening touchdown,From going to midfield and doing a ten player "rowboat act" to swimming on the end zone wall.We know thew grizzlies suck but to rub it in the fans faces after a touchdown is wrong.The swashbuckers last week thoroughly trashed the grizzlys but at least they did with some class.Maybe instead of giving away free tickets team owner Chad Dittman sould just teach his texas team a little bit of poise and sportmenship.
This is just sad. I, too, was at the Trace Adkins concert, and I was embarrassed and disappointed by the fights going on there. (Not to mention the idiots rushing the stage.) Come on, people, we don't get much good entertainment up here, let's not discourage it any further by acting like a bunch of classless morons.
I disagree, it was handled very poorly. Especially by Chad Dittman and the other owners. Every fan that was involved in that fight was thrown out of the carlson center, as they all should have. Not 1 single player was ejected from the game at all and that is rediculous! in the IFL rule book it states that any player, no matter the reason, enters the stands in an act of aggression is automatically ejected and fined a full game's salary. They also can be held responsible legally by having charges pressed against them for assault. I too was there, and very close to the fight. I saw a player from Corpus Christi punch a man in the face 3 or 4 times with a baby in his hands!! That deserves legal action, so I hope that Chad Dittman and league officials take a real close look at the tape and discipline players as needed on both sides. It was embarrassing and should never happen. I don't care if the fans are yelling and talking trash to the players. A professional athlete should NEVER cross that line.
good comment footballman!
If your gonna talk trash you had better be able to back it up. If your gonna throw something at a man, you best be ready to throw down. I am so SICK of this political correctness! If your 150 lbs and your gonna be a half looped trash talking BONEHEAD!, You should get thumped! Maybe you'll learn something. Maybe the ball game wasn't the best place to "educate" this clown, but it's where it happened. As for the players, if the rules say they should have been ejected, they should have been. I say...GO GRIZZLIES!!!!!!!
I've refused to attend sporting events at the Carlson (namely hockey) for several years now because I find it impossible to enjoy the game when the fans are being unsportsmanlike, obnoxious, loud, and rude. Granted not all the fans are like that but it's enough of them to ruin a game.
I really wish the Carlson Center staff was more proactive in preventing issues rather then just dealing with the aftermath. An attentive security guard could have steered that guy away before a fight could occur saving everyone a lot of hassle.
tattoohombre I 100% agree with you, although, security should of stopped it in the very begining when the fan was acting a fool. If the guy was stomped to a bloody pulp then he deserved it. Yes people should act professional at all time but it's human nature to be pissed off at someone who talks smack and then throws beer ono you.
footballman, as I heard it in the stands, no players were ejected because the referees didn't get a good enough view of who had gone into the stands. That's not an exact quote, but it's what I heard said by one of the Grizzlies.
In another lifetime,I used to have share season tickets to the oakland raiders with my best friend.When there was an altercation in the stands the Coliseum security or the Oakland police dept would immediately escort both partys involved outside.
If the Carlson center has a wet and a dry side seating explain to me how this fan was able to get beer into the stands on the non alcohol side of the arena?The Carlson Center must start limiting access to the lower level seats of fans who Don't belong there.Plus I only saw Two fairbanks policemen at the game and during the fight they didn't even go up into the stands to help break up the fight,but the fairbanks finest where sure outside looking for drunk drivers after the game,Guess the cops go to where the money is at.
bottem line please start checking peoples tickets and stop access to the lower level to people who seats are on the 2nd level.
Thanks Raider. I was wondering myself how Bonehead got a beer into the "dry" side of the arena. Of course, the only report of beer being thrown in this article came from a C.C. player.
Also, it looked to me like the refree did motion twice, indicating two players had been ejected. He did not have his microphone on, and I was not (and am not) sure who from which team might have been tossed.
Anyway, there was plenty of ugliness to go around. But as Raider wrote yesterday, there was not much discipline on display from the Texas team. It makes me proud to have Coach Fourcade in town and in control of our team. Here is hoping he can help get us a win against the Wild, and make our season complete!
James Brooks-
I don't know who you were talking to, but it's not hard to see who went over the glass and who didn't. The refs saw what was going on and should have started immediately taking down numbers of who was in the stands, it's their job!!!! I know the league officials are looking at that tape over the weekend and I hope that the players are at least fined. The 3 Corpus Christi players and the 2 Grizzlies players that went over the glass into the stands were there for nearly 5 minutes straight. So it wouldn't have been hard to take a few seconds out of their time to take a quick look at what was going on and who was up there. So please, no more excuses... I know that being a ref is no easy task, but I've never seen refs as incompetent as ours.
Well, the person saying those words sounded as disgusted as many of the other people in the crowd. While I'm not being paid to give my opinion, it did seem fairly obvious from where I was sitting.
what seemed fairly obvious? the players that were in the stands or what?
The players who were in the stands.
Aidey, I don't know what you're talking about with fans at hockey at the Carlson Center being obnoxious and rude because there are many worse fans at the Dipper with the Ice Dogs. It's college hockey, you want no noise? Go watch golf....but until then, we are glad to not have people like you at the Carlson Center. I'm not saying fighting or cursing is ok, but I really hate when people get mad when "YOU SUCK" is yelled. Come on, much more vulgar things could be yelled. Go to a college sporting event in the states
From what I heard from some fans is that the "fan" that got into the fight was a former grizzly player, so was it an accident he was down heckling the opposing team?
I don't have a problem with "you suck" or similar expressions, it is hockey after all. Most of the stuff I have issues with I don't think I can describe without violating the conditions of posting here. I haven't been to any college games outside of Alaska, but I have been to UAA games(not just hockey) and Aces games and I think both were more behaved overall then the UAF fans. That could be because historically they have had more problems down there, and thus the security is a little more proactive when responding to issues.
...and this is exactly why the Grizzlies will not succeed here in Fairbanks. I'm not trying to be mean, but in reality, this is not a professional sports team. Professional athletes have only one job and responsibility...to play for the team which owns them 24/7/365. The Intense Football League, while seemingly popular in some areas of the Lower 48, is not a true professional league and because of the part-time players they use...these types of events will continue. It is exactly this type of situation that turns off fans big-time and will turn generous crowds at the gates into nothing more than friends and families of the players. It's very sad. What could have been a fun spring sport in the Interior has been marred by a few idiots. Enjoy it while it lasts.
oldakcuss
From talking with some of the players from the Grizzlies, Fairbanks and Anchorage are the two biggest markets for IFL. Some venues struggle to draw a couple of hundred spectators for a game.
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I think that the wall between the fans and the teams are to low these things would not happen if there were more separation between the fans and the teams. We have to remember people are drinking and tempers and attitudes can get real high and that's what happen. this time we were lucky but it could have Ben a lot worst. We want to have a family night out not a beer brawl. Foxhall
I agree that the barrier between the players and fans are too low and the security at the Carlson Center need to be making absolutely sure that no alcohol ends up on the dry side (which is the side the players are on)...there was obviously some drinking going on over on the dry side and that needs to stop. That will eliminate a lot of problems in the future.
Heres a Grizzlie problem of the future,
The next game againest the Alaska Wild will be intresting one,It will be the 1st time there will be fans from another team added to the mix. Just add dollar tickets,an 88 to 12 butt whipping and alcohol and stir....Could turn into fight night 2
Hope that does not happen and everyone enjoys a surpize win by the Grizzlies
I really haven't thought about that akraider, and you're right it will be very interesting with Anchorage fans, Fairbanks fans, and alcohol mixed together....I hope no fights break out, but there will be no stopping the trash talking, it's a rivalry
All I can say is that the CC employees do there best to keep the fans safe. They need the help of the fans to keep them safe. From the fan being smart enough not to mouth off to a guy that weighs more or has more PROTECTIVE gear on. To telling the guards around them that there is a rowdy fan. If you think about it there is less than 1% (1500 fans 10 guards)population in the carlson center per crowd size of guards and ushers. I wont say that all things such as rowdy fans can be solved...it is a football.
As for that fan did any of the fans around him mention to a guard a usher or even a food service employee that there was a problem? No one will know. So all I can say is the guards at the CC have no problems dealing with unruly fans if they know about them in advance. Other than that they have to be reactive instead of proactive.
The way to minimize this type of behavior - Ban the sale of beer in the Carlison then there is no Wet or Dry side. I for one get tired of the drunks at games, concerts and other events.
HybridAlaskan-
It was not "Superfan who had his son in his arms, it was another man and the child must have been under 2 years old. The "Superfan" was the reason the fight broke out because of his rediculous comments to the players, but that doesn't justify a professional athlete to jump into the stands and start a brawl with kids around.
I think banning the sale will help a little, but I know when I was going to hockey games plenty of people (mostly the UAF students it seemed) showed up to the game already drunk/drinking, or were able to bring alcohol in with them. My guess is that if alcohol is banned, more people are just going to bring it in themselves.
As for the security being out numbered, I would like to see security during an event - walking around, through the stands etc. Making themselves more accessible to people. The only time I've ever seen security is during concerts, all the other events/games i've been to I don't think I've seen them around.
i understand the concern for the comments about "no alcohol", however ignorance, lack of common sense & stupidity (just to name a few) are not always alcohol induced. some humans tend to posses these tendencies regardless.
self~control & respect for others, as well as yourself, should be a top priority for every individual.
having IFL & a local home town team to participate & to give me the pleasure & enjoyment of being a fan & season ticket holder (this year & next) is something i hope will continue into the future.
i do not intentionally go out of my way to reduce the joy of other peoples "extra~curricular" activities.
find activities that are enjoyable to you & be a fan or participant & let others do likewise. then just stay clear of the ones that don't interest you.
***!!!GO*GRIZZLIES!!!***
Lets just ban alcohol in the entire city why stop at the Carlson Center. There are people doing stupid things and problems in the streets of Fairbanks too! I heard he actually threw a soda or an energy drink. Maybe he was strung out on sugar (lets ban soda!)Maybe we can get the CSI team to swab the players helmet for barley and hops.
I'm not sure how many lifeguards are needed on the proverbial gene pool on this topic but maybe the fan and the player need to accept some responsiblity for their own actions! Why does society accept full responsibility for people who exercise poor judgement?
I agree, the player and the fan need to accept responsibility for the entire problem. But that won't stop it from happening again. I'm not saying that stopping the sale of alcohol at the Carlson Center will fix everything, but based on events I've witnessed in the past 6 weeks inside that building, I'm in support of it. Even if only temporarily, until people mellow out a bit.
(And yes, I drink also. If a person can't have a good time without getting liquored up and making an idiot of themself, then I'd rather not see them at the Grizzlies games anyway.)
What happens though when people refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, and refuse to curtail their "celebrations" even though they are impinging upon everyone else's ability to enjoy the event? At that point some regulation has to be done.
TO Aidey
I can tell you from past expierence that when the guards Walk through the stand instead of walk back and forth on the concourse fans complain that there view is blocked that the guards are annoying so as a past employee the reason you are not seeing them is because you are a good fan and dont cause problems =)
I wrote the commissioners office of the Ifl and asked them what action the league plans to take againest the Hammerheads.3 days later and still no answer.I think the Hammerheads should forfit the game thus sending a message not only to the the hammerheads but to the rest of the league that going into the stands and fighting is not allowed.Also I don't know if this was ture or not but a friend told me yesterday that his daughter was sitting in the fight area and told her dad that our drunken superfan crapped his pants during the fight.leaveing poo on two seats and the grizzlies had to give those two fans free sweat shirts.
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