Politico reported that Eagles Club in Philadelphia and the American Football Association expelled George Norcross, an American businessman in New Jersey, from a football league game from his booth on the field during a match between Eagles and Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night after he held up a banner combining the American and Israeli flags.
Norcross, who was accompanied by a group that includes Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, threatened to sue the Eagles Club of the NFL and a security firm.
A strong supporter of Israel
Norcross said in a statement that as a longtime passionate fan and season ticket holder, Shahid Eagles and the NFL are making clear and strong statements on many important civil justice issues and ethnic and global conflicts, including support for the people of Ukraine, "so as a strong supporter of Israel, a country that came under fierce attack less than a month ago, I thought it was an important position to show."
A video of Norcross being fired — in which he can be seen arguing angrily with Lincoln Financial Field employees before being picked up from his cabin — went viral on social media on Sunday night, with Norcross claiming he was "assaulted" by staff.
Stadium Policy
Lincoln Financial Field policy prohibits the holding of banners and signs or hanging them on the stadium structure.
The stadium identified these signs as "inappropriate that are not related to the event, potentially offensive to other beneficiaries, capable of obscuring the opinions of other fans, or deemed dangerous or inappropriate by Eagles."
"I'm thinking about whether to sue Eagles, the NFL and the security company that took me out of the cabin in front of thousands of fans, and I urge other supporters of Israel to make their feelings known to the team and the NFL," Norcross said.
In an earlier statement in response to allegations that he was physically abusive, Norcross said the video showed that he was not, and that "there were 15 people in the cabin who are witnesses, including several licensed law enforcement officers who can confirm that there was no physical assault by me."