A professional lacrosse player named Tyson Bell is accused of attacking a fan in a video TMZ dubbed “wild.”
Barstool Sports shared the video on X and wrote sarcastically, “Best way to grow a sport is to have the players attack the fans.”
The video shows Bell walking past when a fan appears to grab his attention, and he charges toward him, going around a gate at one point before trying to strike him with a stick.
According to TMZ, the video featured the National Lacrosse League player, who “snapped on some hecklers,” and was seen “attacking the fans with his fist before swinging his stick at them.”
TMZ reported that the incident occurred at the end of the Halifax Thunderbirds’ “loss to the Colorado Mammoth in Denver.”
The National Lacrosse League Confirmed That It Is Investigating the Incident
The NLL indicated that the league is investigating the incident. “The League is aware of the alleged incident from December 21 and will comment at the conclusion of our investigation,” the League wrote on its X page on December 22.
That post also says that the “alleged incident” occurred during a player and at least one spectator, but the post doesn’t name Bell.
The League wrote that the incident occurred on December 21.
Bell is on Instagram but hasn’t addressed the incident. In November, the Thunderbirds shared a video showing him on the field and wrote, “Mondays hit hard but not like Tyson 🥊”
Some Fans Were Disgusted by the Viral Video
Fans expressed disgust as the video went viral. “The Anger issues in the @NLL the past couple years have been disgusting and bad for the sport. They need to clean it up!!” one X page wrote.
A man wrote, “Halifax had a couple players lose their mind. #51 was out for blood the whole night. This is the most undisciplined team I’ve seen in professional sports. A product of poor leadership. People need to be suspended including players and coaches.”
Another fan went even farther on X, writing, “This incident is simply beyond the pale. I don’t care what was done or said by the fan(s). NOTHING warranted that outcome.”
But another person wrote, “Punish the player but never allow that fan anywhere near players ever again. In any sport.”
Another fan noted the League’s use of the word alleged despite the video. “ALLEGED incident?!?! If this player is not suspended, this league will forever be looked at as a joke,” that fan wrote on X.
According to the Premier Lacrosse League, “Tyson Bell is a St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada native where he attended Denis Morris Catholic School. While playing at Onondaga Community College, Bell was a 2x NJCAA First Team All-American, a NCAA Defensive Player of the Year and a 2x NCJAA National Champion. Bell saw plenty of game action during Chaos’ run to the 2020 Championship Game, where he picked up 7 ground balls and caused 2 turnovers for opponents. When not playing lacrosse, Bell enjoys skiing, playing hockey, coaching, travel and new adventures.”
Bell wrote about his career on the Calgary Roughnecks page, writing, “My biggest mentors in my lacrosse career were my parents. They’ve been there for me since Day 1. I’m thankful to have them in my life. Also my coaches that I’ve had the opportunity to play under, they put the steps in for me to get me to where I want to be. There are always the tougher coaches that are always in your ear, but they’re just trying to help you – they have the same goals in mind and they help you fulfill that.”
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Professional Lacrosse Player Accused of Attacking Fan in ‘Wild’ Video