On October 12 the Seattle Seahawks fans were removed from play by head referee John Turfel after the Seahawks scored in the third quarter and their behavior became uncontrollable. It took two and a half hours to remove all Seahawks fans from the stadium, but the game eventually resumed.
“It felt like a scrimmage, there was only a handful Cowboys fans who stuck around, and it was dead silent” starting quarterback, Russell Wilson, said, “I’ll admit it was very relaxing not being yelled at for two and a half hours straight.”
However, the team appeared too relaxed as they lost the game in the fourth quarter. Defensive linemen were seen admiring afternoon sky and much of the bench enjoyed a lovely nap in their downtime. Head coach, Pete Carroll, was enraged by the loss and blamed the fans for their poor performance.
After some debate, it was determined by the NFL that the “12th man” would remain banned for one more game due to the unruly behavior displayed during the game against the Dallas Cowboys. The main referee who argued for a longer ban was the same who issued the penalty, John Turfel.
Turfel seemed to hold a vendetta against people who associate themselves too closely with any particular sports team. He condemned the use of phrases like “we won” when referring to a favorite teams victory.
“If people want to believe they are part of the team then I will treat them like they are a part of the team,” Turfel said when justifying his decision.
Regardless of the reasoning, no fans were permitted into Seattle’s game against St. Louis, which they also lost. Many attempted to sneak into the stands only to be forcefully ejected.
“I’m a fan of the Seattle Seahawks, you can’t do this to me,” a fan exclaimed while being ejected from stadium.
After the loss, head coach Pete Carroll was angered by the defeat his team suffered. It would appear Carroll can’t win a football game with only legally recruited players. The coach shifted his blame toward Turfel in a press conference and asked him to reconsider the role fans play in games.
However, Turfel was reluctant to change his position and he insisted that fans enjoy the sport, but understand that they are not members of the team they support.
“They[fans] play no part in a teams victory or defeat. They can’t run, pass, or kick the ball,” Turfel said, “so why would anyone insist on grouping themselves with the team? I won’t tolerate it, not on my field.”
