| | DENVER -- A frustrating loss became even more
painful when the Oakland Raiders were pelted with snowballs at
Denver's Mile High Stadium, leading to a confrontation with fans
and legal problems for cornerback Charles Woodson.
| |  | | | Kennedy |
| |  | | | Woodson |
The Raiders are angry about being attacked by snowballs, some
spiked with batteries, throughout their 27-21 overtime loss Monday
night to the Broncos. The attacks intensified as they left the
field in disappointment after the loss.
Moments after the game, Woodson allegedly hurled a snowball that
struck a female fan in the face, and offensive tackle Lincoln
Kennedy went after a fan who had hit him in the face with a
snowball.
"They were coming from all angles. I didn't think it would be
that big a deal, I didn't think it would escalate," Raiders
fullback Jon Ritchie said. "It was a real downer. Any time you lose it's an emotional blow and you're vulnerable."
Denver police said an arrest warrant for Woodson was in the
works and was likely to be issued Wednesday charging him with
misdemeanor assault and throwing objects, violations that carry a
maximum punishment of a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. The
complainant against Woodson was Sharon Freeman of Parker, Colo.
Detective Mary Thomas said the warrant would be issued because
authorities were unable to contact Woodson and serve the citation.
She said the warrant is not extraditable and Woodson probably could
settle the matter by paying a fine, perhaps as little as $25.
The 335-pound Kennedy punched a fan after getting hit in the
face by a snowball. Kennedy had charges filed against Robert Lynn,
and police said Kennedy was not cited because he had the right to
fight back after getting hit by the snowball.
"I did something that was very unorthodox," Kennedy said
Monday night. "I got hit by a number of snowballs and then got
surrounded by a number of drunk fans and lost my temper."
On Tuesday, several Raiders sought an apology from Broncos
officials and coach Jon Gruden said he expected a league
investigation. Defensive tackle Grady Jackson said a snowball thrown near him contained a battery.
"I had to make some serious moves to escape those snowballs,"
Gruden said. "You try to warn your players and talk to your
players about not retaliating on the field and off the field.
Unfortunately, after that game, there were a barrage of snowballs
and some wicked hits."
Police said eight fans were arrested for assault and 13 others
received citations for their actions during and after the game.
Three fans spent the night in jail.
"I do know a lot of people were concerned for their own safety
late in that ball game," Gruden said. "It was an ugly scene,
dangerous. It was target shooting, that's what it was like."
Fans at Mile High Stadium also reacted angrily earlier this
season after Denver dropped to 0-4, and Broncos cornerback Dale
Carter was hit in the eye with a metal object as he headed toward
the locker room.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan said Tuesday he was very disappointed
by the way Broncos fans acted toward the Raiders.
"For someone to throw a snowball at somebody is classless. If
you want to throw something at me and hit me with a snowball, I
think you deserve to be punched," he said. "I think there's a
handful of people that do things like that. They have a few too
many drinks."
But Shanahan, who said he was hit by a battery thrown from the
stands when the Broncos visited Oakland on Oct. 10, did not condone
Woodson's reaction.
In December 1995, in the final game of the season at Giants
Stadium, fans pelted the field with snowballs and nearly caused the
first forfeit in NFL history. Fifteen people, including the San
Diego Chargers equipment manager, were injured. Another 15 were
arrested and 175 people were ejected from the stadium.
| |
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