Getty Tom Brady talks with referees during the first half of Sunday's game.
Amid the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turning things around on defense in Week 5, the team staff members got in on the act.
Bucs security staff took down a fan who stormed the field late in the first half of the Sunday, October 9, game against the Atlanta Falcons. The incident occurred as the Bucs lined up for an extra point according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The video of the altercation went viral on social media in minutes.
“Have never seen that before,” Laine wrote. “Got tackled by security and was pinned down for several seconds before being escorted off to the northeast corner of Raymond James Stadium.”
Bucs fan Wade Crocker, who shared the video, quipped “good to see John Lynch working security for RayJay today, great technique on that tackle” on Twitter. Lynch, the San Francisco 49ers general manager, had a Hall of Fame career at safety for the Bucs in his playing days.
Tampa authorities handled the matter but couldn’t release information about the fan because of juvenile status according to The Associated Press. The mother of the child “has several children and was confused about which one jumped onto the field” The Associated Press reported.
The Bucs enjoyed an otherwise smooth first half with a 13-0 lead and 256 passing yards by quarterback Tom Brady. It also meant a bounce back for the Bucs defense, which allowed 41 points and 417 total yards allowed in a Week 4 defeat.
Sunday’s on-field fan incident also marked the second one in an NFL game in less than a week. The other incident ironically involved Lynch’s 49ers.
A fan took off across the field during a “Monday Night Football” game between the Los Angeles Rams and 49ers. That one got a little more messy than the quick sideline staff tackle at Ray Jay.
Security staff couldn’t catch the fan at Levi’s Stadium, so Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner got involved as he tackled the fan. Former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning talked about it during their MNF simulcast.
“That’s not making a play,” Wagner said via ESPN regarding his tackle of the fan. “That’s just keeping it safe. You don’t know what that fan got or what they’re doing. You see it all the time, and we don’t know what they’re carrying in their pockets. It’s whatever that little smoke stuff is, but that s— could be dangerous.”
“One of the guys on the other side, it looked like he got hurt, and security looked like he was struggling, so I was frustrated, so I took it out on him,” Wagner added.
Brady’s Throwing Hand Appears Fine
Brady appeared to tweak the injured ring finger on his throwing hand during the first half, but he stayed in the game. He previously hurt the ring finger at New Orleans in Week 2, but he downplayed that — and later his shoulder injury — going into Sunday’s game.
“I’ll be alright,” Brady told reporters after the Week 4 game. “It’s football.”
On Sunday, Brady went over 300 yards for a second week in a row. He also eclipsed 70% for completion percentage a third consecutive week.
Losses Accrue for Bucs Defense
While the Bucs defense continued to shine early on in the second half, that unit took a loss with defensive back Carlton Davis III going down with a hip injury. Greg Auman of The Athletic reported that Davis’ “return is questionable”. Davis had four tackles in Sunday’s game.
Fellow defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting also went down with an injury. Murphy-Bunting suffered a quad injury according to Auman. The carnage mounted when safety Mike Edwards injured his “hand/wrist” on the Falcons’ second touchdown, Auman reported.