Fed up with the NFL’s ongoing national anthem protests, one fan has attempted to strike back by filing a suit against the New Orleans Saints in the hopes of recouping the thousands of dollars he spent on season tickets to the team’s games.
Louisiana resident Lee Dragna filed a suit in a district court Monday “seeking a refund for the tickets as well as attorney’s fees, claiming the protest by some players against police brutality and racial injustice has prevented him and his family from enjoying the games,” reported the The New Orleans Advocate.
Despite spending $8,000 on season tickets, Dragna hasn’t attended a game since the Saints’ first home game of the season on Sept. 17, when some players on the team avoided honoring the national anthem by remaining in the locker room as it played, according to the Advocate.
“Apparently, these players were following the lead of (former San Francisco 49ers quarterback) Colin Kaepernick by disrespecting the flag, the anthem, the USA and those who have served and are serving the USA in our military,” Dragna’s suit states, according to the Advocate.
When the absent players finally walked out onto the field, Dragna’s family watched in horror as furious fans “booed and cursed at the Saints players.”
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He noted in a statement to the Advocate that this behavior was “borderline dangerous,” though he laid the blame for it squarely on the shoulders of the Saints.
“The Saints created that behavior by condoning it,” he said. “It’s my thought pattern that (players) should not be allowed (to protest). If you sell tickets to a gaming event for entertainment, you should not be allowed to turn it political.”
Besides creating a hostile environment, the team’s protests have also cultivated the impression that it’s OK to act like a disrespectful punk, Dragna argued.
“I don’t want my kids growing up thinking that those are their heroes … and it’s OK to do that stuff, especially on TV and especially on your job site,” he said. “That can’t be allowed to happen.”
While $8,000 is admittedly a very small price to pay for a team worth countless millions, when Dragna simply asked the Saints for the refund, they rebuffed him.
“They don’t even want to talk about this,” he said. “But I don’t care. One way or another, they’ll pay.”
The Saints have declined to comment about Dragna’s suit, according to the Advocate, though an insider source told ESPN that the team is “taking this very seriously,” and said “this fan best have his facts in order.”
“The Saints will come back at this fan who has brought forth incorrect information in his statement with everything to defend the team, organization and players,” the source added.
Saints running back Mark Ingram likewise posted a snarky tweet Tuesday denying Dragna’s claims but wishing him “good luck.”
The one time we protested an anthem was an away game. After a team meeting we decided to kneel as one BEFORE the anthem was played and STAND united as one DURING the anthem! Good luck dude ✌? https://t.co/28huwGP0Pu
— Mark Ingram II (@MarkIngram22) December 13, 2017
For a man worth millions, Ingram could easily resolve this himself by paying Dragna the $8,000 out of his own pockets.
As of Wednesday, however, it appeared neither the team nor its players, including Ingram, had any intention of resolving this mess the easy way.
H/T Yahoo News
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via Conservative Tribune
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