The protesting fan tackled by Rams’ Bobby Wagner suffered multiple injuries, including a concussion, according to the Santa Clara Police Department.
The individual went to the police department on the afternoon of Oct. 4, a day after the Monday Night Football game. Injuries listed on the report also included a headache and a burn on the inner bicep of his right arm, but it is unclear if that is due to Wagner’s tackle or the pink smoke flare the protestor was carrying.
Direct Action Everywhere, a grassroots animal rights organization, said the male protestor, Alex Taylor, and a woman were raising awareness about a trial involving alleged pig theft. DxE also said a similar protest occurred during the Bills-Rams season opener, and one of the women “sustained severe head trauma when she was tackled,” according to a press release.
Wagner laid a massive hit on the fan during the MNF game against the 49ers. He said during a media session a few days later that he was “more concerned about the security guard that was hurt trying to chase him. We don’t know what that (pink smoke) is. You’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.”
He stressed that he helped security tackle the protestor out of safety concerns.
“You don’t know what that fan got or what they’re doing,” Wagner said. “You see it all the time, and we don’t know what they’re carrying in their pockets, whatever that little smoke stuff is. But that [stuff] can be dangerous. … Security looked like it was struggling. So I was frustrated, so I took it out on the fan.”
At the time this story was published, the investigation was ongoing and no charges had been made.
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