The Tiger fan who walked onto the field during the first quarter of the LSU-Southern game is escorted away by law enforcement. September 10, 2022. Courtesy of WBRZ
During the LSU-Southern game when an extra man walked onto the field the officer who ended up tackling him was Baton Rouge PD Spokesperson Don Coppola. On Mornings with Brian Haldane, Coppola talked about how video of the incident has gone viral.
“That’s something you don’t expect. Somebody walking on the field, just nonchalantly. The play is going on. Luckily, he wasn’t hit by a player that’s fully padded and helmet, because it could have been bad,” said Coppola.
Coppola said the viral video even ended up on Sean Hannity’s program on Fox News.
When these oddities do occur, Coppola said it’s usually a fan running across the field and possibly even streaking. But this incident was most unusual because the fan walked onto the field and just stood there with his hands on his hips while the ball was in play.
“We learned later that there were some other issues that may have been a contributing factor to that. Law enforcement along with the suspect remained uninjured, it was a quick resolution and then the game was able to continue,” said Coppola.
The game was already historic being the first match-up for LSU and Southern but thanks to social media it might most be remembered for the fan on the field. Coppola said he was quickly escorted off the field but not before words were exchanged.
“This individual was resisting; he had made some threatening comments to myself and my colleague before being apprehended. But you know overall it ended up well,” said Coppola.
Video courtesy of WBRZ
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