CLEVELAND — A fan who threw a bottle and struck Browns owner Jimmy Haslam during the team’s 31-30 loss to the New York Jets Sunday has been identified and will be banned from games at FirstEnergy Stadium, team officials told NFL Media Insider Tom Pelissero. News 5 has learned the man was arrested shortly after the incident.
No one was harmed, a Browns spokesperson confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
According to the Cleveland Police report, officers observed the fan throwing a water bottle at Haslam on video surveillance and then tracked the fan's location on video and alerted officers about his position via radio.
At about 4:10 p.m., a stadium security officer saw the fan heading towards an exit gate and ordered him to stop, the report states. The man failed to stop and the officer went to detain him. The man pulled away from the officer. Assisting security officers arrived and detained the man until police officers arrived and escorted him to the police room.
The report notes that the man appeared intoxicated, and when officers explained the situation to him, he stated, "It never hit the field." The man was advised of his Miranda rights and later conveyed to the county jail where he was booked and housed.
The fan was arrested Sunday for assault, failure to comply and disorderly conduct, according to the report.
“Fan, player and staff safety is the top priority in our building and behavior that puts others in danger will not be tolerated,” the statement reads. “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.”
The bottle was thrown moments after Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson scored a late-game touchdown, tying the game at 30-30 and opening the Jets up for a shocking victory after the extra point was scored.
The NFL reporter captured and tweeted video of the bottle striking Haslam on the leg as the Browns owner began walking toward the Browns’ tunnel. Haslam stopped and pointed at the crowd in the direction the bottle was thrown.
Team officials told Pelissero that video from inside the stadium helped the team identify the fan.
As the Browns walked off the field after the game, they were showered with boos from fans who were shocked and infuriated having watched the team's meltdown from the stands.
"The more disappointing thing was the booing at the end,” defensive end Myles Garrett said in a post-game interview. “It was not the most optimal ending that we’d want. Of course we’d want to win. Of course we wanted to play out the game and it end 30-16 or 30-17 or whatever it was, we get a pick or a strip sack and end the game. But that's not always how it goes. These guys are still putting their a**** on the line and playing as hard as they can, and they should be respected as such.”
Watch the News 5 sports team's full breakdown of what went wrong for the Browns against the Jets below:
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