Rob Hopkins didn’t lose his life when he fell from upper deck of Ralph Wilson Stadium and plummeted to the tier below, but he has lost quite a bit else.
The rowdy football fan was captured on CBS cameras as he attempted to slide down a railing at the edge of the upper deck. About halfway down he lost his balance and fell backward, falling close to 30 feet to the 200 level of seats. The man landed on another fan, injuring both of them.
“He kind of bounced off him and landed about two rows down on the ground,” witness Jeff Savidge said in an interview. “I heard somebody scream from behind us, ‘Oh my God!’ or something like that.”
Both injured fans were taken to a hospital, where they were treated and released.
The Buffalo Bills say they have no tolerance for the reckless fan, and given him a lifetime ban from the stadium.
“This individual will not be permitted back into Ralph Wilson Stadium,” Brandon said in a statement.
Even Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz spoke out, supporting the Bills for banning the rowdy fan. The team works closely with the county, and earlier this year the two reached agreement on the stadium’s lease that keeps the Bills tethered to Buffalo for the next decade.
“Yesterday’s reckless and dangerous incident at Ralph Wilson Stadium is an example of the type of behavior that gives Buffalo a bad reputation and that can never be tolerated, dismissed or accepted,” Poloncarz said.
A report Tuesday said the NFL fan also lost his job with Eric Mower and Associates, a media firm in Buffalo.
“EMA is very concerned about Sunday’s incident at the Buffalo Bills’ game and we are relieved that the injured were released from the hospital,” the company said in a statement. “Rob Hopkins is no longer employed by EMA.”
Police officers in Erie County are still investigating the incident, and said the NFL fan who fell from the upper deck at Ralph Wilson stadium could face criminal charges.
