March 26, 2018
On Sunday, a "report" emerged that the NFL is looking into fan behavior at the NFC Championship Game in January, in which fans of the Minnesota Vikings were mistreated by fans of the Philadelphia Eagles during the Eagles' 38-7 boot-stomping of the Vikings on their way to the Super Bowl.
The Vikings blog under the SB Nation umbrella, The Daily Norseman, reluctantly addressed this "report," as the NFC Championship Game is something that that they have moved past, clearly, and don't want to talk about anymore.
"You know, we were really going to make a real effort to not talk any more about this sort of thing, but a story just came across that would appear to be of interest to fans of the Minnesota Vikings," wrote Christopher Gates of the Daily Norseman.
The article then went on to talk about the things they don't want to talk about for 12 more paragraphs.
"According to Mike McFeely of the Fargo Forum, the National Football League is looking into the conduct of fans in Philadelphia at January’s NFC Championship Game," Gates continued. "According to McFeely’s article, the investigation has been going on for several weeks, and that the NFL’s chief security officer has sent out an e-mail that says that the league 'will publicly announce changes that will be implemented going forward.'"
Well that doesn't sound good. What in the world will the NFL do to punish the Eagles and their fans for their boorish behavior?
According to McFeely's report, Vikings fans' voices are "being heard."
According to a Facebook post made by a member of a Vikings fan group, NFL senior vice president and chief security officer Cathy Lanier wrote, "We believe the interviews will help inform some recommendations going forward. ... We want to incorporate any lessons learned into future improvements."
An email sent to Lanier asking for comment was returned by a league spokesman.
"We have been speaking to some fans who attended the game to learn more about their experience," the NFL's Brian McCarthy said in an email. He did not reply to an email asking for more details.
A Vikings spokesman declined comment.
In related news, my friend Steve remains encouraged by the form letter sent back to him by the good people at Skittles, who responded to his complaint about their decision to change their green Skittle flavor from lime to apple.
Among those suffering hardships during the NFC Championship Game was a gentleman by the name of Eric Johnson, who was allegedly mistreated by Philadelphia police, per McFeely's report.
He arrived at Lincoln Financial Field about 3 p.m. When the Uber driver stopped in a busy area, Johnson opened the car door and tried to get out. But a Philadelphia cop slammed the door on his leg and said, "You can't get out here!" Johnson tried to get out again, but the officer slammed the door on his leg a second time and angrily yelled at him. Johnson said he and the passengers he shared the Uber ride with were confused, and one of them left their cell phone in the back of the car because of it.
PhillyVoice is awaiting word from the NFL on whether or not Johnson's shoes fell off as well.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned NFL senior vice president and chief security officer Cathy Lanier formerly served as the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, dealing with things like murders and gang activity on a day-to-day basis. She is certain to get right to the bottom of Johnson's friend's lost cell phone with the urgency and tenacity Johnson's case deserves.
We'll update as we learn more.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski.
Like Jimmy on Facebook.
Like the new PhillyVoice Sports page on Facebook.
