Cubs decline to take action against man who smacked fan for not standing during national anthem
The Chicago Cubs have declined to take action following a viral video showing a fan smacking another fan in the head for not standing during the national anthem.
The video, apparently taken before Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field, shows a man appearing to berate a younger fan, then slap him in the back of the head upon being rebuffed. The younger fan then stands up.
The video made the rounds online over the course of Monday and Tuesday, with predictable battle lines drawn. The older fan told "Inside Edition" on Tuesday that he "definitely" wishes he could take the smack back and revealed that the other fan made peace with him over beers:
"Even though I fought in Vietnam and I had buddies killed, we fight for the rights of people, and that's one of his rights. Then later on during the game, next thing you know, he's buying me a beer. We talk, we shook hands. I overreacted. I could've handled it better. I wish I would have. But my feelings are still the same: people should stand."
The Cubs responded to the matter Tuesday with a statement, via NBC Chicago. The club confirmed that it prohibits any physical confrontation between fans and that its security team spoke to the man who was struck. That man reportedly did not want any further action, such as an ejection.
Because the man said he considered the matter resolved, the team said it will respect his wishes:
"The National Anthem is an important tradition at Chicago Cubs games," a Cubs spokesperson said. "While we respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves, we encourage every fan to stand, if they are able, and to remove their caps while the anthem is being played. At the same time, the safety and security of our fans is our top priority. We expect all guests to treat one another with respect and to follow our Fan Code of Conduct, which prohibits physical confrontations and threatening behavior.
"Our security team spoke with the fan who had been struck. He indicated that the matter had been resolved, he did not want to have anyone ejected from the ballpark or any further action taken, and we respected his wishes."
