An Alabama football fan was frustrated enough by the Georgia Bulldogs’ 20-17 win over the Crimson Tide last Saturday that he decided to smack Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson in the helmet.
Now, it appears that might have been the final time that same fan ever watches a football game inside Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama identified the fan seen slapping Wilson near the front row of the stands after video of the altercation went viral, and the school announced Thursday that it had taken action against the fan.
“Alabama has identified and taken appropriate action against the individual involved in videos circulating on social media following Saturday night’s football game,” Alabama athletics said in a statement, per AL.com. “We take matters of this nature seriously and will not tolerate this behavior.”
The disciplinary action taken against the fan includes a lifetime ban from all Alabama athletics sporting events, UGASports.com reported.
As Georgia players were exiting the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium last Saturday, some upset Alabama fans in the stands began tossing items, such as water bottles, at them. It was a contentious rivalry game, which included multiple controversial calls, or no-calls, by the referees.
In videos filmed by media members on the field after the game, the now-banned Alabama fan was seen walking down to the front row of the stands prior to his viral interaction with Wilson.
“Let’s go, boy. Let’s go, boy. Get the f-ck out of here,” the Alabama fan yelled at Wilson while slapping and pushing his helmet.
The senior linebacker walked away from the fan without further incident. The Georgia player later explained that he thought the man was a Bulldogs fan instead of a Crimson Tide supporter, which likely contributed to his calm reaction to the man’s belligerent behavior.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart previously addressed the incident during his press conference on Monday.
“You want people to make good decisions and do things the right way, and Raylen certainly did there,” Smart said. “But there’s so much that goes into that. He thought it was a Georgia fan, probably helped him react the way he did initially, you know? It’s disappointing behavior by any fan and certainly nothing we condone, and I’m sure Alabama doesn’t condone it either.”
Georgia (6-0) rose to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll following last week’s victory over Alabama. The Bulldogs host another rival from the state, Auburn (3-2), on Saturday in Athens.
The Crimson Tide (5-1) will try to bounce back in a second-straight rivalry game of their own on the road against Tennessee, which is also 5-1 so far this season.
