The activist who ran onto the field and was summarily leveled by Rams defenders Bobby Wagner and Takk McKinley on “Monday Night Football” this week has filed a police report.
That’s according to TMZ, who confirmed with Santa Clara police that the report was filed.
Alex Taylor is an activist on behalf of the organization Direct Action Everywhere. A fellow member of the organization, Allison Fluty, tried to run onto the gridiron as well, but was tackled by security before reaching the playing field.
They sought to bring attention to a trial in which two animal rights activists are facing charges for stealing two pigs from a factory farm in Utah in 2017.
The organization called the hit on the activist a “blatant assault.” He was carrying a machine that sprayed pink smoke, and allegedly suffered a burn on his arm.
“You don’t know what that fan got or what they’re doing,” Wagner said after the game, citing safety concerns for stepping in and leveling the activist.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Wagner has not been charged with a crime in the incident.
Reporters from the sports business outlet Sportico discussed whether athletes who take out fans who run onto the field could eventually face civil liability from the incidents.
“I contend one day a jock is going to seriously hurt one of these knuckleheads and find him or herself facing a civil suit. Am I nuts?” Sportico’s editor-in-chief Scott Soshnick asked the outlet’s legal analyst, Michael McCann.
“I think it’s possible an athlete tackling a fan who runs onto the field is going to really hurt that fan,” McCann answered. “The game ticket will say the fan assumes risks, but all risks and ‘that’ risk? And unless player is acting in self defense, are they authorized to act as a security guard?”
