JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Jacksonville Jaguars fans have been banned indefinitely from Everback Field and from purchasing tickets to future games after they were seen throwing items at a Seattle Seahawks player, a Jaguars spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The Jaguars' home win over Seattle on Dec. 19 had an ugly ending. The Jaguars took exception to the way the Seahawks handled the final snaps -- two kneel-downs in the closing seconds of Jacksonville's 30-24 victory.
Seahawks defensive tackle Michael Bennett dived at center Brandon Linder's knees, setting off a near-melee. Sheldon Richardson was ejected for throwing a punch, and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette went after Bennett.
More pushing and shoving ensued after quarterback Blake Bortles' next kneel-down, and Seahawks defensive end Quinton Jefferson was tossed. What happened next set off an ugly chain of events.
As Jefferson was jogging off the field, something whizzed by his head.
Jefferson stopped, pulled off his helmet and headed toward a rowdy section of fans.
Jefferson pushed aside security guards and started jawing with the spectators. Just when it looked as if Jefferson was about to walk away for good, what looked like a cup of beer came flying out of the seats. That prompted Jefferson to rush toward the stands and start trying to climb up. He had to be restrained -- pulled back by his shoulder pads -- and escorted to the locker room.
After reviewing video footage of the incident, Jaguars personnel said that four fans threw five objects from the stands, including plastic cups filled with ice and liquid, a bag of popcorn and a plastic bottle.
In a statement to News4Jax on Wednesday, the Jaguars spokeswoman said that only two fans in the video were able to be identified.
Those two fans, whose names were not released, have been banned indefinitely from purchasing Jaguars tickets and from attending any Jaguars events at EverBank Field due to "the severity of the violation of the Fan Code of Conduct," the spokeswoman said.
The entire statement released by the Jaguars reads:
Following the incident at the end of the Jaguars vs. Seahawks game on December 10, it was concluded that four individuals threw objects onto the field. Based on available video evidence, we were able to positively identify two of these individuals. All four individuals had relocated to a seat near the field wall toward the end of the game. Neither of the two identified individuals were found to be existing Jaguars season ticket members. These two individuals have since received notice that due to the severity of the violation of the Fan Code of Conduct, they are banned indefinitely from purchasing future Jaguars tickets and returning to any future Jaguars events at EverBank Field. A thorough examination of the incident was conducted by the Jaguars, NFL Security, the stadium management company (SMG), the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office and the stadium security company (SAFE Management). "