The Indoor Football League had a Malice at the Palace moment.
During the final minute of the matchup between the Arizona Rattlers and the Massachusetts Pirates, chaos ensued — and spilled over into the stands.
With 32.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Rattlers were up nine points on the Pirates, and it was just about mop-up time.
But then a scary scene transpired when Pirates defensive back Leon O’Neal Jr. leaped into the stands to confront an apparent heckler.
The Indoor Football League game broke out into pure chaos. Cameron Cox/Twitter
The final moments of the game turned into an eventful one — off the field. Cameron Cox/TwitterPunches were thrown as several more players on the Pirates jumped into the stands, and it became difficult to tell who was escalating and who was attempting to be a peacemaker.
Five players and at least one fan were ejected after the fracas.
The game broadcast showed a young fan crying and being consoled by an adult woman after the brawl had happened around them.
Multiple players headed into the stands during the scene. Cameron Cox/Twitter“I heard the Rattlers start saying ‘Oh, he’s hot’, so I looked over and I saw him jump over,” the sideline reporter on the game’s broadcast said.
“There was a fan over there. He was in the fan’s face. I don’t know what he said, but he hopped over there — didn’t even touch the wall.”
The Indoor Football League announced that O’Neal Jr., teammates Chris Ingram and Charles Williams and Pirates coach Patrick Pass have been suspended indefinitely.
Multiple suspensions were handed out from the brawl. Cameron Cox/Twitter
Fans near the scene of the brawl. Cameron Cox/Twitter“Under zero circumstance can you ever go beyond the wall and into the stands,” Indoor Football League commissioner Todd Tryon said in a statement.
“This is a one-time incident that does not reflect what the IFL stands for. We are a family friendly league that offers great sports entertainment, and we will continue to build on that moving forward. What was a very exciting game was marred by the actions of a few.
“These actions will never be tolerated and are being fully dealt with.”
