This photo of Duron Carter led to uncovering an alleged incident. |
I never expected posting a harmless photo on social media
would uncover a disappointing alleged incident.
Following the Saskatchewan Roughriders 38-24 win over the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday at new Mosaic Stadium
in Regina, I posted a photo of Roughriders receiver Duron Carter giving
high-fives to fans of the host side during the pre-game introduction of the
team.
Since joining the Roughriders, Carter has been tremendous in interacting with Rider Nation, and that photo of him meeting the faithful along the bottom row of the Pil Country section was a great representation of that.
Since joining the Roughriders, Carter has been tremendous in interacting with Rider Nation, and that photo of him meeting the faithful along the bottom row of the Pil Country section was a great representation of that.
What I didn’t clue into was the fact something ran afoul,
when I was at that contest as a ticket buyer. During my drive from Regina back
to Saskatoon on Monday, I received a couple of messages that my picture of
Carter was going viral.
Upon arriving in Saskatoon, I found Carter’s Twitter post alleging
a Bombers fan spat on him and that my photo was taken before that alleged incident
happened.
This is before a trash ass bombers fan spit on me... Worst fans in the league... can't wait to kick y'all ass again! https://t.co/ezU9XHbhqD— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017
#Saskatchewan #Roughriders receiver @DC_CHILLIN_8 mets #RiderNation before the LDC. #CFL. pic.twitter.com/9iThXi6M1M— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) September 4, 2017
He wrote that Bombers fans were the “Worst fans in the
league.”
At that point, I wanted to check my photos immediately after
the one I posted of Carter and the Roughriders fans. Thinking back, I
remembered fullback Spencer Moore followed Carter to start high-fiving fans too,
and I tried to get photos of Moore as well.
I remember seeing Carter peel back to the Roughriders bench
looking upset. I found a shot later on in my sequence further down the row of
a small group of Winnipeg fans mixed in with the Roughriders supporters.
I tweeted to Carter asking if those Bombers fans in the
picture were the problem ones. He replied by identifying the alleged spitter as
the fan with blue and gold face paint.
Wow! That's him with the blue and gold face paint! https://t.co/7J8uGT8zQx— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017
Hey @DC_CHILLIN_8. On serious side, I checked photos after the high-five one I posted. Were these the problem WPG fans? You look upset. pic.twitter.com/F3KZAFYISp— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) September 4, 2017
On top of that, I found another post of a picture of a
Winnipeg fan trying to rip the head off of Roughriders mascot Gainer the
Gopher.
CBC reporter Alicia Bridges contacted Regina Police, and
they said they were aware of an incident between a fan and the mascot. The
Police said there were no formal complaints and no criminal investigation into
either claim.
On Twitter, fans responded with most expressing sympathy for
Carter, and some apologized on behalf of Bombers fans. There were fans that
sent chirps Carter’s way too, but those were in the minority.
I am pretty certain something happened to upset Carter, and
due to the fact the alleged incident happened pre-game, there is a likelihood
it was on the unprovoked side. When Carter scored a touchdown in the south end
zone in front of Pil Country in the second quarter, he did taunt the Winnipeg
fans in that section likely due to what happened pre-game.
The 26-year-old had an outstanding game hauling in 10 passes for 101 yards.
Duron Carter, left, does a TD celebration on Sunday. |
At this point, I believe Carter’s claims of the alleged
incident. How it plays out for the rest of the week remains to be seen.
I suspect the incident will come up during media interviews
on Tuesday.
Overall no matter what walk of life you are in, you morally
can’t spit on a person. It is just wrong, and it crosses all sorts of lines.
Carter has every right to be upset over what happened.
On the Winnipeg side, the actions of a couple of people don’t
reflect the entire fanbase.
Back in the day, the Bombers had their section of rowdies
that inhabited the east side of their former home in the now demolished Winnipeg
Stadium. There were a lot of times you didn’t want to sit on the east side of
Winnipeg Stadium, if you were a fan of a Bombers opponent due to fears that you
might be harmed.
In today’s day, the large majority of Bombers fans,
especially the one that travel to Regina for the Labour Day Classic, are good.
At this year’s Labour Day Classic, I spent an hour pre-game hanging out with
Winnipeg fans at “Wayne’s World,” which is the party spot for Bombers fans
located across the street from Taylor Field, which is the Roughriders old
stadium.
All my interactions with Winnipeg fans were good ones, and just
over a year ago, I wrote a column about how Winnipeg fans add to the atmosphere
of the Labour Day Classic in a good way.
With that said, every sports team has bad apple fans, and
Carter wrote in another tweet he wouldn’t condone terrible “fansmanship” for
any team.
Just to let you know! I wouldn't condone terrible "fansmanship" for any team... y'all stop comparing who is worse...— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017
At the moment, I believe it is too early to determine what
affect it will have on the next encounter between the Roughriders and Bombers, when
the Bombers host “the Banjo Bowl” at 1 p.m. Winnipeg time on Saturday at
Investors Group Field.
A search over Twitter occurred on Monday in an effort to
find the accused spitter.
If the accused spitter is found, I would suspect there would
be some sort of ban from attending CFL games, but depending what is said, I don’t
believe the ban should be a permanent one.
As far as a criminal aspect is concerned, that would rely on
how Carter felt about how things play out in the coming days. The same would go
for how the person inside the suit of Gainer the Gopher felt about the Bombers
fan that tried to rip his mascot head off, if an accused is found in that situation.
When the Roughriders and Bombers meet on Saturday, I hope
everyone in attendance remembers the two teams are just playing a game, and it
is not life versus death struggle.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.