Sports fans have responded in disbelief after a 10-year-old boy was tackled to the ground after running onto the field during an NFL game.
The boy ran onto the field at the Raymond James Stadium on Sunday when the home team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, were playing against the Atlanta Falcons, the Associated Press reported.
On Twitter, many NFL fans expressed disbelief at the encounter, with radio host Zac Blobner asking: “What kind of parent lets their kid run on to the field? Smh”.
“Seemed like a harsh tackle,” another person tweeted. “But the guard was trying to make sure that one person will not ruin it for all.”
“What if that kid got in the way of a running player; can you imagine what that will be like?” asked a third person of the danger posed by running onto the field.
“I don’t think the takeaway is parents ‘letting’ this happen,” a fourth person tweeted, defending the boy’s mother. “We might want to focus on body slamming a 10-year-old. Or the crowd cheering as it happens.”
The boy, who has not been identified, was tackled by a security guard, who was seen in viral video along with four others pushing the child.
According to the AP, he had entered the field as the Buccaneers were lining up for an extra point after Leonard Fournette’s 1-yard touchdown run gave them a 6-0 lead.
His mother told the AP her son is 10-years-old, although Tampa police later told the news agency the child was older than 10, with the mother unsure about which of several children had run onto the field.
Tampa Police Department spokesman Eddy Durkin said the boy was issued a civil citation and given a notice to appear in court, the AP reported.
The incident comes about a week after a protester ran onto the field during a game between the San Francisco 49ers’ and Los Angeles Rams last Monday.
The protester, who the AP reported was tackled by Rams linebacker Bonbby Wagner, afterwards filed a complaint with police.
