October 27, 2006
VaTech Clemson fans hit Bowden with liquor bottle
UPDATE: More on this story has come out since the original post, so I'm updating within and below.
Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden was hit in the head with a glass liquor bottle thrown at the Tigers coaching staff by Virginia Tech a Clemson fan during last night's game.
Wendell Flinchum, Virginia Tech's interim chief of police, confirmed Friday a fan was ejected from the stadium for throwing objects at the Tigers coaching staff. Flinchum said the man wasn't arrested and wouldn't release the man's identity....
Fans are prohibited from bringing alcohol into Lane Stadium.
"Had I turned and had it hit me in the eye, it would have killed me," Bowden said. "It was glass. That's what scared me. Those plastic ones, it wouldn't go that far."
Bowden said he gave the bottle to Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips, who was standing on the sideline. Bowden said officials made an announcement warning fans not to throw objects on the field.
UPDATE: The Roanoke Times is reporting that the fan that threw the bottle was a Clemson fan, not a Hokie fan as previously suggested.
The Roanoke (Va.) Times reported Saturday that Virginia Tech assistant athletic director Sharon McCloskey said a Tech police officer in the stands saw a man "dressed in Clemson gear" throw the bottle.Police "said it was a Clemson person that did it," McCloskey told the Times. "The policeman told me they didn't think he was trying to throw it at the coach; he was just trying to throw it out there. I don't know ... whether they thought they got a bad call or something."
Comments:
goodolnuma5 said:
posted on October 27, 2006 7:06 PM — 24.208.149.244 — link — abuse?
Whew! for a second, I thought it mightve been a Clemson fan,...no wait a minute,.... a Hokie? Oh,..never mind.
Tommie Trojan said:
posted on October 27, 2006 8:31 PM — 206.135.38.217 — link — abuse?
Dang,
Bowden's just lucky that he wasn't hit with a flying sofa or loveseat or some other household appliance. The only thing that any of these hillbillies won't throw at you is the dayum football. I think that they hold the thing with the same reverance that they have for their 2nd cousins - who they all plan to marry someday.
Tommie T
Eastcoaster said:
posted on October 27, 2006 10:14 PM — 24.131.11.209 — link — abuse?
Tommie T,
You're ignorance shows. VT is NOT West Virginia, and the students from VT are largely from suburban Washington DC or Virginia Beach. If you knew anything about college football you'd know that. All your cliches are woefully out of place- off point, ignorant, and reveal the low wattage brain behind them.
Get a clue, jackass.
JoshC said:
posted on October 27, 2006 10:44 PM — 68.57.138.109 — link — abuse?
Tommie clearly has us confused with West Virginia. That's OK, Tommie, we can never remember the difference between UCLA and Southern Cal either... oh. Wait. Yeah, we can, because WE CAN FREAKING READ.
That said, one idiot here needs to (a) be arrested and (b) lose his season tickets, and another set of clowns needs to be fired. Tech started paying an outside contractor this year to handle stadium security, and made a big show of how they're gonna search people, but we see how well that's worked.
Airplane bottles, I don't care. But if a guy's drunk enough to throw a bottle at Bowden, he was drunk enough walking in that they should have been able to tell to pat him down and find a glass bottle, rather than spending all their time searching grandmothers to make them throw away the homemade sugar cookies that they've been bringing for their seatmates for the past thirty years.
givinuthabird said:
posted on October 27, 2006 11:11 PM — 68.55.81.235 — link — abuse?
Gosh, I think about all the times that I've gone to visiting stadiums and been treated with such respect that I just can't believe that something like this could happen at the home of my Hokies. I mean, that time my buddy was hit with a glass bottle from the top deck at Scott Stadium - I must have imagined it. And when I went to Duke and was hit with a flying calculus book - that couldn't have been real. And then the time I was at UNC and was verbally abused by a bunch of guys that kept warning me to "wait and see what would happen on the basketball court later" - they couldn't have been students. Then there was that time at Maryland when I got pushed out of the bathroom by a bunch of guys shouting "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!" - clearly a figment of my imagination. Bottom line? This crap happens all over the place. Should it? No, of course not. Is your stadium immune to it? You're kidding yourself if you think so.
WB said:
posted on October 27, 2006 11:31 PM — 71.14.120.150 — link — abuse?
The guy should have been arrested. I don't care what your team allegiance may be, I think (I hope) we can all agree that this sort of dangerous behavior can't be tolerated.
Shame on the Va Tech security for letting the guy go.
The Mayor said:
posted on October 28, 2006 2:02 AM — 67.174.192.148 — link — abuse?
givinuthabird says
I agree, away games are getting to be a pain in the ass. Could have happened anywhere. No one loves the booze more than me, but fearing for your physical safety at another school's turf is getting all too common.
I took a ton of abuse from Cal fans after the Duck/Bear game afew weeks ago. Why the abuse? We (Ducks) lost the damn game?!?!?!?
I was with my wife and heard some very abusive crap...and in Berkeley no less, once from my own fraternity brothers. There was even a drunk Stanford student there giving us a bowl full of crap...
I love a beer or two at the game, but anyone bringing in glassware should be banned for life!!! Throw anything, you are gone for life!
TrojanHorse said:
posted on October 28, 2006 2:37 AM — 198.107.37.162 — link — abuse?
East coaster, Blacksburg is in the Southwestern corner of the state, close to the WV border. The closest thing to Blacksburg is roanoke. This place is nothing but Hicksville USA, it may as well be WV. I don't care where the students come from, this is redneckville USA along with Morgantown when it comes to hicks and CFB
Postmaster said:
posted on October 28, 2006 12:00 PM — 68.110.215.179 — link — abuse?
This morning's paper said the fan who threw the bottle was wearing Clemson colors. I didn't think any Tech fans had reason to throw anything because the Hokies were dominating!
The fan should have been arrested, though. Then Bowden would know who it was.
posted on October 28, 2006 12:11 PM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue said:
UPDATE: The Roanoke Times is reporting that the fan that threw the bottle was a Clemson fan, not a Hokie fan as previously suggested.
The Roanoke (Va.) Times reported Saturday that Virginia Tech assistant athletic director Sharon McCloskey said a Tech police officer in the stands saw a man "dressed in Clemson gear" throw the bottle.
Police "said it was a Clemson person that did it," McCloskey told the Times. "The policeman told me they didn't think he was trying to throw it at the coach; he was just trying to throw it out there. I don't know ... whether they thought they got a bad call or something."
posted on October 28, 2006 4:06 PM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?
I remember the good old days in the mid 80s when we would pelt visiting Florida with oranges. In 1987 I was the only one throwing them. I came close to hitting Galen Hall. Like Kerwin Bell that game, I over-threw him...
The Answer said:
posted on October 28, 2006 9:29 PM — 68.100.249.21 — link — abuse?
Trojan Horse,
You are probably unsuccessful in your career and personal life because you have the unfortunate habit of speaking when you have no idea what you are talking about. I did not go to VT (did undergrad in DC) but I have been to VT several times. Virginia Tech is if anything a hippy town. I’ve been to several “hill billy” towns and you might as well lump DC, NYC and Miami in as a hill billy town if you are going to say Blacksburg is. You don't care where the students come from? How about the players? Well they are all from the Hampton Roads, VA area which if anything is made up of ghettos and fisherman (I went to high school there). Put down the bottle and get your head out of your ass. I’ll await the message cursing me, telling me how much DC sucks (I know), and how successful you are (lawyer? Doctor? Stockbroker? Married a model?), or how my grammar in this email was not perfect or I possibly misspelled a word. I only ask that you proofread what you write before you send it and think….do I really know I’m talking about?? Because clearly you did not do that the first time.TygerEye® said:
posted on October 29, 2006 2:19 AM — 24.241.113.0 — link — abuse?
I'm sorry. WHERE did Tommy Bowden state it was a VaTech fan who threw the mini-bottle? = NOWHERE.
Old Kevin boy is at it again. Plucking a news story out of his lower apperature. No substance in fact, but why would that stop Kev from varnishing the truth?
BTW, What constitutes the "Clemson gear?" the police chief said the fan was wearing? Do you realize ORANGE is one of VaTech's colors? Many of VaTech's fans wear orange to games just as many Clemson fans wear purple. in both instances, they wear the school's "secondary color." Unless the fan who was ejected wore something which read "Clemson" or had a "Tiger Paw" on it, he might well be a VaTech fan. Further, based on the 'gentle attention' he received from police, one might assume he was a homer with some influence. Heaven knows if I were caught throwing something on the field, I would expect to spend the night in jail as an absolute minimum. On the other side of the coin, does a member of the town's most prominent family EVER spend a night in jail because he is seen drunk in public? NOPE. Does someone from another state get the book thrown at him by the local cops? ABSOLUTELY!!! Also, how does a "Clemson fan" get 50 yard line seats in Lane Stadium? Clemson was alotted 3,000 tickets and they were all in the end zone. However, "prominent locals" and people friendly to VaTech DO get 50 yard line seats!
The police chief stated "my officer stated" (= 3rd hand information) "the person was a Clemson fan." Might be "home cooking" and the Chamber of Commerce at work there instead. Policemen are so influenced this way every day.
Final analysis: Kev boy, you don't have even a fart to base your indictment upon. -Sorry Clemson BEAT your Noles this year!!! In a decade or so, you'll get over it!
posted on October 29, 2006 8:00 AM — link — abuse?
@TygerEye - Rip me if it makes you feel like a man. I guess kicking the dog just wasn't doing it.
I blog the stories and --whether you like it or not-- this is what's being reported. Just like the posters at Tigernet, just like the Clemson Fanhouse, etc, etc.
Get over yourself.
VTBobb said:
posted on October 29, 2006 12:35 PM — 71.248.53.66 — link — abuse?
TygerEye - Talking about "No substance in fact.." and not having"...even a fart to base your indictment upon", did anyone mention 50-yard line or did you pluck that form your "lower apperature"?
Cops don't arrest people for throwing objects onto the field in any stadium, unless they know it hit someone. (Remember that snowball game in the NFL a few years ago? Any arrests were made after the incident using game films.)
Also, having spent 6 fun filled years in B'Burg, I can promise year neither the local police forces (both Tech's and the town's) nor the Chamber of Commerce are overly protective of the Tech students, particularly unruly ones. But I can envision your scenario:
Cop on cell: Yes sir, we caught him throwing an unidentified object onto the field.
Entire Chamber of Commerce sitting around a speaker phone in an underground bunker: What was he wearing?
Cop: An orange sweatshirt.
Ch of Comm.: Well, don't even think about taking him to jail, he could be a Tech student, and we wouldn't want to upset them.
Cop: Yes sir. By the way, whose turn is it to deliver the donuts to the station this week? We want more sprinkles...
Yeah, I can see that happening...
Regan said:
posted on October 29, 2006 1:30 PM — 192.24.243.21 — link — abuse?
#1: Clemson Fans vs. VT Fans -
My Tigers lost at Blacksburg. Darn. That's pretty much it as far as any psychological scarring is concerned.I don't care what color said fan was wearing, what school he rooted for, or whether he shot deer or not - he should have been arrested, charged for the appropriate crime.
#2: East Coast Fans (or whoever else) vs. West Coast Fans (or whoever else) -
I have lived in South Carolina all my life, and have friends and family in and from SC, NC, GA, VA, WV and TN. Not only do I not know anyone who has ever gone out with anyone they were related to, but I have never met anyone who knows anyone who has.If you enjoy stereotypes, congratulations - you are one.
#3: The Rational and Respectful vs. The Pointless and Rude -
Coming to bat for Kevin, here - so many posts on this thread have very good and well-reasoned points, but were filled with such pointless and irrelevant jabs that I couldn't even take them seriously.I shouldn't have to pride myself in my rare ability to disagree with someone without insulting them.
This is a site dealing with College Football. Surely we can all hate each other in more constructive ways. :)
VTBobb said:
posted on October 29, 2006 2:13 PM — 71.248.53.66 — link — abuse?
BTW, I agree, anyone throwing things onto the field should be arrested and banned from the stadium for at least a year, maybe for life. But the arrest issue isn't very realistic unless it is an extreme case.
On a side note, although I haven't been there for abour 15 years, I always thought that Clemson fans were pretty classy. Unfortunately there are always a few idiots in every crowd.
Trey said:
posted on October 30, 2006 10:12 AM — 65.254.171.218 — link — abuse?
I'm suprised Tomie Trojan, and Trogan Horse even bother to trash VT online. As backwards and redneck as they seems to think everyone there is, there can't be a single computer in the whole town. Maybe they could send them a telegraph. Showing them how ignorant ramblings are the best way to get a point across. Oh and USC is overranked.
Tiger Paw.....I also have heard the moon landing was staged, and the VT police know who killed Kenedy, but are protecting him because he was wearing orange at the time.Maybe it's time to set an age limit to keep the children off the site.
Big East Fan said:
posted on October 30, 2006 10:40 AM — 168.216.24.38 — link — abuse?
Blacksburg (VT) is much more isolated and country than Morgantown (WVU). There are rednecks everywhere in the SEC and ACC so why bash WVU for a VT, Clemson game.
I lived in southern West Virginia and attended undergraduate school at Concord College in Princeton, WV...(45 minutes from Blacksburg). Many people in this area are huge VT fans. Blacksburg is a small hick town that many can identify with....Sterotypes and Prejudice attitude toward WVU and people of West Virginia or even western Virginia is ignorant....You should visit a place before you make ludicrus and uninformed statements about a team or school.
WVU is actually about a hour long interstate drive from Pittsburgh. VT is in the middle of NO where....take geography people.Having said that, I like WVU and VT. Wish the best to both schools. The people for both schools are some of the most loyal and passionate fans in all of college football. They are blue collar smash mouth programs that should be respected, admired, and succesful.
givinuthabird said:
posted on October 30, 2006 11:02 AM — 216.230.101.178 — link — abuse?
Isn't it funny that "TrojanHorse's Ass" has fallen silent since his mighty (read: overranked) warriors lost? As superficial as everything else is in LA (and yes, I've been there, so don't try and pass it off as anything else), perhaps football is no longer the "in" thing to follow. Right now, he's probably spending his time scouring the web in search of the next big thing to hitch his wagon to. Fair thee well. It's definitely time to ride off into the sunset along with the rest of the team.
Jon Pearsall said:
posted on October 30, 2006 1:49 PM — 136.167.60.209 — link — abuse?
Boston College needs an ACC rival. I mean, I know everyone in the ACC already hates us because of our atrocious fan behavior and general lack of couth at sporting events, but we need one school to stand above the rest. UNC has Duke, Miami and FSU seems to work pretty well, anyone want to volunteer to hate us the most. NC State perhaps?
VOLPIMP said:
posted on October 30, 2006 2:07 PM — 208.0.27.10 — link — abuse?
In stadiums and chat rooms, blogs, wherever; stupid fans should be banned for life. I've seen dozens of idiots escorted out of Neyland Stadium, and sadly they were all wearing orange. The same issue popped up in Columbia this weekend, and the cops took people out for it. I say arrest them all, that will stop alot of it. You hit somebody in the head with a bottle on the street and see if you don't catch a felony. Offenders get banned from the stadium for life it'll slow down too, just don't know how you could enforce that one.
gatorhippy said:
posted on October 30, 2006 2:22 PM — 209.16.115.5 — link — abuse?
At Benny Hill, if an attendee is caught with alcohol they are ejected from the game...
If it can be determined that the person being ejected was known to have alcohol by the season ticket holder with those seats or if that person is, in fact, the season ticket holder; UF will TAKE YOUR SEASON TICKETS AWAY!!!!
The guilty party must then join the waiting list to regain seats regardless of how long they have had their seats...
Maybe more schools should adopt this policy...
AllEers said:
posted on October 30, 2006 3:55 PM — 162.129.27.201 — link — abuse?
Well DAAAAGUM Tommie T. Hell we woulda thrown our breast implants but we didn't think it'd have quite the same impact.
Take your Ray-bans off and step away from the pedicure booth (or has the tanning bed caused irreversible damage)...
Wow...there are stereotypes everywhere. You wanna hear redneck? I'd like to see the WVU rifle team vs. USC football. Maybe we could get a week off for Trojan season.wareagle524 said:
posted on October 30, 2006 4:35 PM — 63.162.187.225 — link — abuse?
They have hillbillies in LA too...they can be frome the US or from different countries and cultures...still rednecks.
Although you could also label some of them as just plain old white trash! Ahhh my favorite!Ever since that damn war of "northern aggression" went to halftime the yokels keep on moving around, I wish they would just come back to the south and enroll at Bammer. I'm sure they could use a couple more!
Regan said:
posted on October 30, 2006 7:02 PM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?
Jon Pearsall (#26):
If your Eagles keep up barely beating Clemson in Overtime, your wish will be fulfilled. :)
I am so hoping we can take yall down next year - I don't like the fact there are ACC teams out there we haven't beaten since the Reagan Administration. :)
CUTotalTiger said:
posted on October 31, 2006 11:50 PM — 68.59.5.49 — link — abuse?
If a Clemson fan did throw the bottle, or a Va. Tech fan for that matter, why is the name of the person NOT being released. Next I will read that a Georgia fan was ejected from Grant Field for spitting on the Bulldogs as they entered the stadium. Security was assisted by athletict officials from the University of Georgia as they did not see the "spitting." Georgia Tech campus police did say that a Geogia Fan was escorted from the stadium but not arrested. His name will not be released.
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geauxtigers0107 said:
posted on October 27, 2006 6:18 PM — 204.8.41.197 — link — abuse?You gotta be kidding me...alcohol in a college stadium? No way! I can't believe the guy wasn't arrested though. That's got to be some kind of assault charge. I bet the bottle was empty though.