Phillips Threw Ice, F-Bombs At Fans
September 13th, 2009
Here’s the second report Joe has learned of involving safety Jermaine Phillips hurling water, among other things, at fans after the Bucs loss to Dallass.
Earlier today, Joe brought you news of this incident courtesy of Joe’s friend who sat in the stadium section that was victimized by Phillips.
Now Joe has confirmation of the incident from a named source.
This second source is none other than Justin Pawlowski, a sports talk radio personality at 620 WDAE-AM, the flagship station of the Buccaneers Radio Network.
Pawlowski reports on WDAE’s website that Phillips, after hearing fans get on safety Sabby Piscitelli for his toasty play Sunday, threw a cupful of ice and “about 20 or so F-bombs” at the fans located in Section 109.
By the end of the game, the few Bucs fans who were in my sold out section (um, lots of Cowboy fans) started getting on the defensive backs. One guy was a little louder than the others. He called out Piscitelli by name and addressed the rest of the defensive backs saying, “that was the worst display of coverage I’ve seen by the Bucs in 20 years.” I know, I thought he was being lenient too!!! I guess that comment ticked Jermaine Phillips off.
It was after said comment that Jermaine Phillips took a cup full of mainly ice with a little water, threw it in the stands, and proceeded to follow that up with about 20 or so F-Bombs. Very classy, considering the children seated in the first row. Of course, nothing was done, and Phillips was escorted by teammates to the other side of the bench to cool down. I’m sure if the average Joe Bucs Fan were to engage in such an act, he’d be explaining himself to Tampa’s finest.
I’m sorry, but this is inexcusable. For a team that is trying to win over it’s fans by being so “fan friendly”, this is a disgrace. You obviously aren’t going to win the fans over by winning or playing well this season, the least you can do is refrain from throwing things into the stands and refrain from using F-Bombs. As a matter of fact, if you want to be mad at anyone, Jermaine, you should focus on your own organization.
Pawlowski goes on to unload on Phillips and the Bucs management for lack of funding on players. Pawlowski also points out had any Bucs fan (or one of the many Cowboys fans at the CITS) pulled a stunt like Phillips did, they’d be locked up at this very moment.
Phillips sentence? Justin is still waiting.
In the meantime when Bucs management is all but begging fans to come to games, Justin — and so too, Joe — wonders how management will explain this very fan unfriendly incident?
September 13th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Considering the number of times “Flip” whiffed today, he probably missed the fans too. Play and actions unacceptable!
September 13th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hey, let’s cut Flip some slack, it’s not like it was a home game for the Bucs today anyway!! Nice sellout Cowboy fans!!
September 13th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Fans are retards. They couldn’t cover those receivers. Jermaine phillips was havin a bad day and some stupid fans were yelling at them. If I was having a bad day and someone yelled at me they’d be lucky if all I did was throw ice and cuss at them.
September 13th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Dadada:
Joe will say for the record he thought Phillips had a fine game. Besides, those fans were not yelling at Phillips (this coming from two eyewitnesses). They were yelling at Piscitelli.
Unless someone was actually throwing things at Phillips, there is no excuse — none! — for throwing ice into the stands at the fans. What if a chunk of ice hits a kid?
September 13th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Lots of Cowboy fans at the game. Almost as many when the giants were here last. Sabby, I mean really, was he even there today. Tjax should get some of this credit too. How bout that running game? Jermaine was frustrated obviously, and should issue a public apology, but that’s the end of it. What do you do with Sabby, is the question? He trys hard and has a huge heart, but these continual burns have to stop, or he needs to GO. Good players take out their frustration and anger on the field, and not on their fans. Jermaine must not have got a copy of that memo.
September 13th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
It’s only week one and the wheels are already falling off. Phillips should be suspended or released. That behavior is absolutely unacceptable!!!!!!!!
September 13th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
This is a non story. Thanks for all your hard work though, Justin. I’m sure you’ll be crying a river tomorrow on the radio trying to make a big story out of nothing.
September 13th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
The real story is the amount of injuries. Any word on the severity of Antonio Bryant, Jeff Faine, & Jeremy Zuttah’s injuries? Maybe you media folks should spend your time uncovering real stories.
September 14th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Chris:
Raheem the Dream will release more information tomorrow morning on the injuries in his press conference pending further medical tests this evening.
As for a “real story,” please explain what object a player can throw at a fan or a group of fans that meets the standard of a story in your eyes, or is physical abuse to paying customers who help subsidize Phillips’ salary something that you encourage?
I’m curious what your reaction would have been if one of your children were hit in the face with ice thrown by a player? Or is this an acceptable action in your eyes?
If a fan threw ice at Phillips, how many seconds would it have taken for the fan to get cuffed?
September 14th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Phillips took several wrong angles and he did not properly shadow Roy Williams on the 2nd big TD pass (the first of the 3rd qtr). I have to disagree with his “fine” game. He may have been the best of the worst.
None of the safeties had good games. The pass rush was non-existant which did not help.
Losing his cool is not acceptable.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Phillips is the Waterboy Morris’s favorite player he will get no disipline its not like he couldn’t show up for the home opener on time or punch a cab driver or something..
September 14th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Pete:
Also consider that this is a new defense and Phillips played all of the OTAs and most of the preseason at linebacker.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Well it’s good to read that some Bucs were getting violent, as Raheem wanted, but weren’t the players supposed to be violent with the opposing players and not fans?
When you go to the stadium you are nt allowed to toss anything on the field – period. If you do you are subject to arrest.
This should be doublely true of the players. Having players toss anything, short of footballs, into the stands in unacceptable. Phillips should be suspended for 1 week and a public apology given.
This player act is a “big story” and just because it was water and ice – players need to learn that they can’t do this crap.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am
What comes next? Thowing snowballs at Santa? Oh sorry that’s Philly fans…
September 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I love flip. I love his intensity. I would never expect him to do anything like this. Jermaine is always having a good time with fans pre-game, while he dances around. That said, this is inexcusable. I expect a complete apology will be forthcoming today. I can see how Jermaine was upset, and I am glad he was defending Sabby (nobody else was going to), but he can’t throw anything into the stands. Oh, and I also thought he had a good game.
September 14th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Physical abuse, Joe? C’mon, its no wonder you chose journalism a your career path. Sensationalize much?!
Back up people, that man has an ice cube and I think he’ll use it!
September 14th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Also, do me a favor and substatiate that story from both ends. Lets not take the word of a few drunk, idiot fans who are picking fights with players. Oh, I forgot, Justin P got a text from someone he knows that heard something from someone they know that happened to be sitting next to the guy who was hit in the face with the ice cube. Right, got it!
September 14th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Chris:
Just so we’re straight here, you’re OK with a player hitting fans with ice, correct? Justin wrote how there were kids in the front row of the section Phillips threw ice at. You’re OK with kids getting hit with ice by a player?
This isn’t like people getting splashed with water sitting front row poolside at some Sea World show by dolphins doing flips.
Not sure how this is sensationalized unless it was fake ice that Phillips threw.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Again, substantiate the story and I’ll eat crow. I’m not an animal, I do have a problem with a player throwing stuff into the crowd. But I wonder what in the world these innocent fans were saying that could have made someone with no history of this type of behavior act the way he did. It’s just out of character and smells a bit fishy is all.
September 14th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Also, how did he reach the whole section you’re referencing? It’s not like RayJay is like the old sombrero where fans pretty much sat right on top of the players. It’s just a little fishy is all. It sounds to me like a bunch of drunk jack-asses started lipping-off at the players and Phillips in turn gave them some lip service. He probably threw some ice in the direction of the a-holes which in turn became the story being reported. Again, how can you take the word of a bunch of sun-soaked, alcohol-filled fans without checking with other side. Now that would have been a good question at the press conference. Just so we’re clear, I’m not a jerk, if Flip flipped-out then he ought to be suspended.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
As I said I would do, I’m posting to eat crow for my comments. I tuned into one of our local news channels only to catch the tail end of Jermaine Phillips apologizing to the fans & community for something he said was out of character. I can only assume he was referring to what will now be known as ‘the ice throwing incident’. We can only hope for hotter days so any future ice thrown into the crowd will melt before landing.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Chris:
That’s very much a stand-up move, but there’s no need to eat crow. Joe wasn’t trying to go to war with you. And to be honest, Joe never had a problem with Phillips until this incident.
And props to Jermaine Phillips for apologizing! Also a stand-up move!
BTW, what channel did you catch this video clip on? Joe would like to post the video of Phillips apologizing.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Again, I saw the tail end so I was assuming it was related to that incident. But it was on ABC Action News.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Thanks Chris!