Fan Handcuffed for Storming Field Speaks
Football, News, Videos — By Julian Belyea on November 17, 2009 at 3:09 pmUPDATE: KnightNews.com has obtained this CBS College Sports video where the commentators claim UCF head coach George O’Leary gave permission for fans to storm the field if the Knights pulled off an historic victory against the ranked Houston Cougars.
KnightNews.com is investigating this claim right now, and we’re trying to find out why there was such a strong police response against storming the field, if it’s true that O’Leary actually gave permission and encouraged it. We asked UCF Athletics for clarification on this, and we’re waiting to hear back. Once we do, we will update this story with the information.
We tried getting the take of UCF police on this, but Cpl. James Roop has not responded to our request for comment on this, which was sent by e-mail Monday.
Check back to KnightNews.com for updates on this developing story.
ORIGINAL STORY FROM 11/16
Thanks to help from our visitors, KnightNews.com tracked down the UCF fan who was tackled by police after trying to storm the field to celebrate UCF’s historic homecoming victory over No. 13 Houston.
Here is our exclusive phone interview with UCF alumnus Mario Paez from the class of 2006:
(UCF police Cpl. James Roop did not respond to our request for comment)
Here’s a slideshow from Paez showing his day from before he tried storming the field until after UCF police released him:
(Click Next page » here or at the bottom right to see the next picture)
Paez and his friend punched each other each time the Knights scored because they thought it would bring good luck.
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26 Comments
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LOL dude got PWNED!!! That’s what happens when your an IDIOT. Good on ya mate! Here’s a lesson for all the nitt witts out there, if a Cop is standing between you and something you want, and you try to get it. You will lose. If there are MULTIPLE cops standing between you and what you want, and you try to get it, you get PWNED…see photos above for proof, when did we become such idiots? There is a big difference between Cops, and stadium security…Most stadiums only have the hired help trying to keep the fans off the field, and after 2 or 3 get by they give up and call it a day….Cops call for backup…
this is SOOOOO bad. You’ve got to be kidding? So, let’s take a hypothetical, kids rush the field, someone gets seriously hurt or killed, will you then assail UCF for not doing something to prevent the tragedy? Answer: YES.
This is garbage. This guy is an idiot.
Sign,
A UCF STUDENT
honestly I would of rushed the field myself, but there was a VERY strong presence of cops… which makes me wonder… WHY if george o’leary gave permission were there so many cops? this is a shame to the UCF athletics program not letting UCF celebrate one of the most well known traditions in college football when winning a very big game: rushing the field…
Look, I too used to live with Mario, and, he is, in fact, retarded!!!! I would have been right there with him and you all are friggin pathetic if you’re afraid of consequences for showing spirit! GO KNIGHTS, AND YOU ALL SUCK FOR HATING ON MY FELLOW RETARD MARIO.
MARIO IS AMAZING!!!!!! YOU THE BEST, SMARTEST PERSON I KNOW. HE’S PRETTY MUCH GOD IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW!! LOL!!!! LOVE YA MARIO!!!!! =)
This guys a HERO in my books!!! All ya’ll haters just jealous you lack the balls of this patriot!
This guy is a HERO in my books!!!
This guy is a HERO in my eyes!!!!
Conference USA is so lame and takes away a major part of college sports from CUSA teams. One of the best traditions of college sports is rushing the field or court after a major upset or win over a ranked opponent. They are ruining this tradition for every school that is apart of this conference. All the major conference allow this to occur, why does conference USA have to be some different. It’s just really disappointing.
Way to exploit another UCF student, KnightNews!
haha thats a true fan right there! stupid? a little. but aren’t we all at times? whatevvv. glad you’re ok, mario!
Ha thanks for the support guys!! To the haters, oh well there will always be you guys out there. Some of you guys have good points. That is a pretty big fall and there is a possibility of getting hurt. I just say suck it up and jump. Not for everyone though. Just let the idiots like me jump first and safely climb down afterwards. Need to find someway around the huge line of cops though. Maybe one day they will build some stairs to help us out and the cops will help us down. Don’t think that scenario will happen anytime soon. And I’m pretty sure the amount of the fine is nothing to the money the school pulls in. I beleive the fine is $10,000 which at $25 a ticket is just 400 more students/alumni.
No doubt I do some idiotic things sometimes, well a bunch of times, but common sense tells me that after the biggest win in school history you rush the field. Like I told the cops, I’m not sorry I did it but just sorry nobody followed me.
Lastly, I just want to say thanks again to the officers who took me in. They were two of the most proffesional cops I’ve been around.
Seems to me like KnightNews is trying to do their research, but UCF Police and Athletics are refusing to comment.
They should have let fans on the field in an orderly fashion. They sent mixed messages since O’Leary clearly said it was ok. Someone could have been killed… or shot by the cops with those rifles they had pointed at the kid.
KnightNews, you need to do you research. The reason fans were not able to storm the field was two-fold. One, its a 12 foot drop onto cement. You dont think if fans started rushing people wouldn’t get hurt Secondly, in the C-USA it is against the rules for anyone (without on-field badges) to step onto the field before the opposing team and officials leave the field. If we break this rule, we get fined thousands of dollars. UCF is trying to hold up some respect for the rules.
With that being said, I really would’ve liked to rush the field. It would’ve been nice if they had opened those gates for us. I don’t think they ever will as long as we are in C-USA though.
And maybe if they decided against paying the 50+ cops and giving them pepper guns to keeps fans from storming the field… maybe whatever fines would be manageable
Mario is awesome! My old roommate, and I’ll tell you he is not an idiot. He has an awesome job and a degree in electrical engineering, and he is smart as hell. He might have one too many drinks sometimes and always breaks his phone but regardless of his personal characteristics, what he did should serve as an inspiration to the fizzling school spirit from the UCF population. If UCF didn’t stifle these displays of school spirit all the time maybe there would be a greater turnout at sporting events. I remember last year I got kicked out of a game because I had a UCF flag. I didn’t sneak it in and I was not doing anything other than waving it. It’s like they make it hard to be a fan. And to the tool saying he should sit in gkc because he’s not a student… if the current students would attend games and fill the section maybe I wouldn’t have a problem with that statement but the student section is always the most fun and his friends were in the student section. UCF needs to take it down a notch before they lose their fan base. They’re taking the fun out of being a fan
Your mom’s an idiot.
This guy IS an idiot. Only one person fell over the fence. Everyone else had enough common sense to stay away from the 50+ cops hanging out on the field with pepper spray guns. This guy saw that and thought “hell, i’ll go for it.” He may be smart in engineering, but he is an idiot when it comes to common sense. Common sense isn’t as common as it used to be.
Seriously. If it weren’t for the dedicated alumni who return to watch home games, the student section would look even more pathetic than it already does. Charging the field after momentous wins is a tradition regardless of the fines it may impose. Besides, sitting in the general audience section is not nearly as fun.
Mario is NOT an idiot. I know him because we graduated with engineering together. Is he a little too drunk at times? yes. But an idiot? Far from. I’d be willing to bet my next pay check that he’s smarter than all of you who are hating on him. The guy is a genius.
Yeah, he should probably sober up. But he didn’t trip or fall off the fence, he was trying to rush the field… which should have been done because that was a huge, momentous win for us! And he was trying to show his school pride.
And judging him for being in the student section? What’s pathetic is that the student section is NEVER filled! Never! I mean I drive 2 hours to get to each home game and most of the students are too lazy to get there butts out of bed?! Kudos to him showing dedication and unashamed craziness for his school.
Rock on Mario, rock on.
Pretty sure this kid is borderline retarded. Storming the field costs UCF tens of thousands of dollars in fines, not to mention the liability of potential lawsuits from kids hurting themselves.
Putting UCF in that sort of potential is “school spirit?”
Better school spirit would be sobering up and joining the rest of the adult world so he can sit in a gkc section. Class of 2006? Student section, falling off fences? Psh…
he is not an idiot. There were other people trying to get everyone to storm the field too, its just what we do when we have a big win. I was at the Citrus Bowl when it happened the first time and it was awesome to watch, BUT it was also a lot easier to get down on to the field at the Citrus Bowl, there were stairs leading down and the jump over the fence wasn’t as high. They built our stadium with out stairs leading down to the field and higher clearance for a reason… to deter students from rushing the field… This dude showed a lot of school spirit by actually jumping or falling over the fence… he is not an idiot. WE should have more people that support our team the way he does. I stay till the end of every home game win or lose and the stadium is so bare its pathetic… Im glad there are ppl like him. Get off his case…
This moron didn’t storm the field, He faked trying to do it with his knee on the top of the fence because no one would follow him and he accidentally fell off the railing flat on his face; thats why he looks like that.
Why are you trying to glorify this idiot?