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Wednesday, 02 November 2005 |
Jeff Garcia breaches security at Lions game
Security officials at Ford Field in Detroit were in trouble on Sunday
for allowing Jeff Garcia to run onto the field during a game. The
aging, ineffective quarterback participated in every one of the Lions
possessions and ended up costing them the game with a late
interception, and the team's head of security promised a full-scale
investigation.
"We will review our security procedures and see exactly what broke down
to allow this to happen," said Harold Simms, Lions head of security.
"We have multiple measures in place to ensure that folks can't just run
on the field whenever they want. In this day and age, you never know
what kind of freak you're gonna have out there.
Sure, many times it's just some harmless drunk trying to get on TV, but every once in a while
you get someone truly dangerous, like Jeff Garcia."
Spectators were shocked at how easily Jeff Garcia was able to bypass
security and get onto the field. Owner Bill Ford jumped out of his seat
and pointed frantically, but to no avail and he later called the
security breach "inexcusable."
"All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I look up and see Jeff Garcia running
onto the field," Bill Ford told reporters. "He was completely untouched
by security. I jumped up and screamed ‘Nooooo! Stop him!' but nobody
listened.
"The guards were just standing there chit-chatting. How can
something like this happen? I don't even feel safe at my own stadium
anymore."
Bill Ford said he is now thinking about placing armed militiamen and
guard dogs on the sidelines to prevent unwanted guests from getting
onto the field.
"I think, out of an abundance of caution, that we should enact these
newer, more severe security measures," he said.
"Granted, I don't want
the place to be some kind of fortress, but you have to think about the
safety of your players and coaches. If we had pit bulls and militiamen
patrolling the sidelines on Sunday, we wouldn't be having this
conversation right now. Jeff Garcia would've been shot dead and cut to
ribbons before he could hurt anybody."
On Monday, the commissioner's office sought assurances from the Lions
that security measures at Ford Field were tight enough. Paul Tagliabue
offered to work with the Lions, and any other NFL team, to help
increase security and guarantee the safety of all players, coaches, and
the fans.
"Obviously an incident like the one we had at Ford Field is
regrettable," Paul Tagliabue said.
"It's very disturbing to see
someone, especially Jeff Garcia, run past security guards and gain
access to the field of play. It's unfortunate that he was able to take
some snaps and ruin the game for a lot of people. I, like you, thought
I had seen the last of Mr. Garcia when he was cut by the Cleveland
Browns."
Coach Steve Mariucci apologized on
Tuesday for the incident,
saying that he should have obtained security clearance before allowing
Jeff Garcia to rush the field.
"Jeff is our starting quarterback. I know it's hard for a lot of people
to believe, but that's the way it is," said Steve Mariucci.
"Next week I'll make sure I alert security that he's had permission to come onto
the field. Actually, next week I've also got to inform them about
Charles Rogers. He's coming back from a drug suspension. If there
really are attack dogs out there, things could get pretty ugly."
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 November 2005 )
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American Football 
