A New England Patriots fan is now facing criminal charges after he threw a beer at Kansas City Chiefs’ star Tyreek Hill. The wide receiver is well within his rights to press charges against the fan.
It’s a scene we’ve seen all too often and one most of us criticize, yet it continues to happen. A New England Patriots fan Sunday night took his full $9 beer, and launched it at Tyreek Hill late in the fourth quarter after Hill scored his third touchdown of the game.
You can see in this video that Hill was clearly upset after someone sprayed him in the face with their beverage. It’s not a pleasant experience and one that athletes shouldn’t have to deal with.
It’s been in the news quite a lot lately, fans throwing beers at people when they should be drinking them. Someone threw a beer a Craig Kimbrel as he was leaving the Yankee Stadium bullpen in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.
Just days earlier, a Yankees fan threw a beer at an Oakland Athletics fan who was just trying to enjoy the game.
You always hear the excuse that “every fan base has them.” Well, why? Isn’t there something to be done that will stop these incidents from happening? Fans aren’t going to chastise their fellow fans in the heat of the moment, so it has to be taken higher.
Today, ESPN reports that Hill was looking to do something about it. He is speaking with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, about his legal options. That means he’s looking to press charges against that fan.
Not long after that, we learned through the Foxborough (Mass.) Police Department the fan is now facing charges.
Even Rob Gronkowski, who plays for the Patriots and has been known to throw a beer or two in his life, was critical of the fan in question, according to the ESPN report.
“That’s just a little bit too crazy. Us players are out there competing, trying to be the best we can be out there. That’s just a little too much, I would say.”
We are hearing a lot of criticism of Hill for his decision to pursue his legal options. Some say it’s part of the territory, while others say he’s a famous athlete and should ignore it. Counterpoint: he shouldn’t ignore it so this behavior stops in its tracks.
There’s nothing like a lawsuit or an arrest to deter people from bad behavior. It would not be about the money, it would be about principle. It would be about stopping this from escalating and becoming a real problem.
We’ve heard the stories of people throwing hypodermic needles at Barry Bonds. People threw batteries in Philadelphia. This kind of behavior can and will escalate. If we let it. What Hill is doing is not ignoring a problem, but taking it head on.
He may look like a baby to some right now, but this behavior has to stop. If someone doesn’t actively pursue stopping it, it will never stop. Good on Tyreek Hill for actually attempting to do something.