New York Jets player sued for attacking fan with snowball

2010-12-21 11:29:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (BNO NEWS) -- A New York Jets football player was sued by a Seattle fan on Monday for allegedly attacking him with a snowball and causing injuries and emotional distress, TMZ.com reported.

33-year-old Shaun Ellis is accused of throwing a large snowball towards a fan after the Jets were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks by 13-3 on December 21, 2008. The loss, on a snow-covered Qwest Field, left the Jets eliminated from the playoffs.

The snowball hit Seahawks fan Robert Larsen. Ellis later said that the incident was "all in fun" but the King County resident claimed that he suffered physical injury, humiliation, mental distress, pain and wage loss as a result of the hit.

"The consequent effects of defendant Ellis throwing the object into the stands was not just fun. When the object impacted plaintiff Larsen it caused him injury and harm," the lawsuit claimed.

Larsen filed a lawsuit at the King County Superior Court. In it, Larsen alleges that Ellis was bitter about the defeat and, as he was leaving the field along with other Jets players, he stopped, picked up a large block or chunk of packed snow and threw it into the crowd.

The boulder-sized snowball struck Larsen, a Seahawks season ticket holder, who added that he was holding a pro-Seattle Seahawks sign which made him a 'perfect target'. The amount of money sought by Larsen was not disclosed.

A video of the incident was recorded by other Seahawks members and was posted online. However, in the recording, Seattle fans are the ones tossing snowballs at Jets players as they head to a tunnel. Ellis is then seen responding to the attacks by throwing a large snowball.

"Shaun Ellis was fined $10,000 for tossing a large snow clump in the direction of fans. Players are notified prior to each season that any contact with fans that potentially presents crowd-control issues and risk of injury is prohibited," an NFL spokesman said at the time.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-21

2 years later the p...uhm..Seahawks fan Robert Larsen files a civil suit, trying to get rich...

In addition, notice the snowballs that pelt the players, especially towards the end of the clip...