The Nashville Predators fan who threw a catfish onto the ice during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is no longer facing criminal charges.
Jacob Waddell, a 36-year-old man from Tennessee who labeled himself a “dumb redneck with a bad idea,” had the charges against him dismissed on Wednesday. He was ejected from Monday’s game and charged with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions after he smuggled a catfish into PPG Paints Arena and hurled it onto the ice.
“Having reviewed the affidavit involving Mr. Waddell as well as the television coverage of the incident, District Attorney Zappala has made the determination that the actions of Mr. Waddell do not rise to the level of criminal charges,” Mike Manko, a spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, said according to WTAE.com. “As such, the three charges filed against Mr. Waddell will be withdrawn in a timely manner.”
Waddell, who has been banned from Penguins games for life, referred to himself as an “ignorant redneck” but boasted about outsmarting arena security.
“The best part is I used their towel and their shirt to put the raw catfish in, right before I threw it on the ice,” he said. “If you see the video, you’ll see me take their towel off, take their shirt off, throw that bad boy right on the ice. They provided me what I needed to do that, which is the best part of all.”
Here’s the clip for those who haven’t seen it:
A Nashville Predators fan admits to chucking a catfish onto the ice during Game 1 of the #StanleyCup Final. https://t.co/3uX1UWbX5H pic.twitter.com/nutkHNFDBT
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) May 30, 2017
While the idea was certainly idiotic, criminal charges seemed a bit harsh. Fans throwing strange objects on the ice isn’t a novel concept (remember this?), and it’s not like a dead catfish put anyone at risk.
