Browns identify, plan to ban fan who threw bottle at owner Jimmy Haslam
The Cleveland Browns have identified and will ban a fan who threw a bottle that hit team owner Jimmy Haslam near the end of their loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Haslam, right after the Jets scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that eventually led them to the 31-30 win in Cleveland, started walking to the tunnel off the field. That’s when a bottle was seen flying toward Haslam from the stands.
The bottle may have grazed the 68-year-old owner briefly, and he stopped immediately and pointed up into the stands.
The #Browns have identified and plan to ban a fan who threw a bottle that struck owner Jimmy Haslam late in Sunday’s loss to the #Jets, per sources.
Here’s my video of what could’ve been a dangerous situation. The team is cooperating with authorities. https://t.co/a1mvjAkD9epic.twitter.com/TwuPxr3655— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 20, 2022
"Fan, player and staff safety is the top priority in our building and behavior that puts others in danger will not be tolerated," the Browns said in a statement, via the NFL Network. "Luckily no one was harmed in this incident and as a standard practice, we've cooperated with law enforcement authorities and security video footage of the object being thrown is in the appropriate hands. We will have no further comment on this matter."
According to The Associated Press, a man was arrested in connection with the incident. He was reportedly charged with disorderly conduct, failure to comply with a lawful order and assault.
The incident in Cleveland marks the second of the weekend across the league.
Las Vegas police said Monday that they are investigating an incident at Allegiant Stadium after a fan struck Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the face after their game against the Raiders.
The Cardinals beat the Raiders in overtime, and Murray started celebrating in the end zone with fans in the front row — which is when a fan in the second row reached down and hit Murray in the face with an open hand. Murray confronted him briefly before walking off.
Here's a slowed down version of what happened between Kyler Murray and a fan after Sunday's game in Las Vegas: Keep an eye out around the 16-second mark.
Great work by @CamCox12 who captured the entire ending on video.
Police are investigating. pic.twitter.com/9ZcpoqlU6S— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2022
An official battery complaint was filed with the police department later that night, but it’s unclear who filed it.