They’d Rather Not Be in Philadelphia
The Giants ventured into hostile territory in Philadelphia two weeks ago, and so did their fans.
Lou Scalise Jr., wearing a Jeremy Shockey jersey, and his father, in a Tiki Barber jersey, were among the Giant faithful at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 17. Lou Jr. said they were “taunted, cursed and even spit at during the game by Eagles fans.”
Michael Martocci, the vice president of Big Blue Travel in Manhattan, which arranged a bus trip for 72 Giants fans, including the Scalises, said: “Every year, the abuse we take from those animals in Philadelphia gets worse and worse. I’m seriously considering having two armed guards sit with us next year.”
The abuse only escalated as the group filed out after the Giants rallied for an overtime victory against the Eagles, the Giants fans said. Scalise, 21, of Copiague, N.Y., said he was pushed from behind several times on a stadium ramp. When Scalise turned around, he said, a man about 6 feet tall and 230 pounds, wearing an Eagles T-shirt and cap, punched him in the nose.
“We were holding the guy and calling for security,” said Robert Anderson, a retired New York City police detective who was part of the group. “But other Eagles fan came down the ramp and started swinging at us. When we went to protect ourselves, the guy who threw the first punch got away.”
Although he did not see the first punch, Lou Scalise Sr. said he turned “to see my son’s face filled with blood.”
The younger Scalise, who is 5-9 and 175 pounds, said: “Those people in Philadelphia are the most classless fans in the world. They’re just a bunch of drunks looking for trouble. I’ll never go back there again.”
In a separate incident that day, according to The Daily News, David Lee and Christian Perez, a reporter and a cameraman for SNY, the Mets’ network, were cursed and had bagels thrown at them when they arrived at the stadium in a SNY truck. After the game, they returned to the parking lot to find part of the network’s logo scraped off the truck, a side mirror ripped off, the rear windshield wiper bent and a tire slashed. The vehicle reeked of beer and urine.
“The stuff that goes on in Philadelphia makes the Meadowlands look like ‘Romper Room,’ ” Lou Scalise Sr. said.
Bonnie Grant, the communications director for the Eagles, confirmed that the younger Scalise had filed a medical report, but said no security report was filed.
“There is no security report, so we have an absence of information to even verify what he is saying,” Grant said. “In addition, no one from that travel group has contacted us.”
Lou Scalise Sr. said that after he and his son completed the medical report, they were told by security officers that the team would contact them.
“We’re still waiting for that phone call,” he said.
Martocci recalled that Philadelphia once expedited disorderly conduct cases during football games at a makeshift municipal court in the basement of Veterans Stadium, which Lincoln Financial Field replaced.
“They needed that courtroom because they can’t manage or govern their own people,” Martocci said.
Michael Irvin, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990’s, listed Philadelphia, Oakland and New Orleans as the rowdiest stadiums he ever played in.
“Philly was just a horrible place to play,” Irvin said. “They’re still cursing me out whenever they see me, and I retired more than six years ago.”
Irvin also said, “Raider fans like to paint their faces and pretend to be crazy; Eagles fans really are crazy.”
Martocci, who has accompanied fellow Giants fans around the country since 1990, said that no stadium came close to Philadelphia’s.
“It’s sad,” he said, “because it takes the whole enjoyment out of going to a game.”
