SEA HOGS FANS MAULED IN DOG ATTACK
By R.E. Porter, Associated Web Press
East Nashville's opening weekend victory against their bitter rivals from Fidalgo Island was unexpectedly overshadowed when visiting Sea Hogs fans were mauled by black dogs running wild at halftime of the game.
The dog attacks were the result of an opening-day promotion gone bad, according to a team statement. East Nashville is famous for the number of black dogs which live there, and that was a huge factor in the Black Dogs franchise's decision to move there three years ago. To show their East Nashville spirit, fans were asked to bring their black dogs to the stadium for the opening game.
At halftime, those who brought their dogs to the game gathered on the field for El Ejecutarse de los Perros Negros or "The Running of the Black Dogs." Metro Nashvegas police officials estimated there were at least 500 black dogs on the field when the public address announcer gave the signal for the owners to drop their leashes.
No longer restrained by their owners, the excited dogs began to run wild — crisscrossing the field, chasing each other, and literally marking the turf. But approximately 40 to 50 dogs ascended into the stands in the Fidalgo Island section and attacked the fans. All 100 of the Sea Hogs faithful in attendance suffered bite wounds in the incident.
A Sea Hogs fan who identified herself as Pussy Little described the terrifying ordeal: "It was like they came right for us, as if they were trained to attack."
Charles L. Ules, a fan who had traveled with his family from Fidalgo Island to Nashvegas for the game, was bitten repeatedly on the neck by one of the attacking dogs. "The dog was going for the jugular," Ules said. "The ER doctor said the beast came within an eighth of an inch of hitting an artery that would have caused me to bleed to death within minutes."
Television cameras captured NFFA commissioner William D. Money in his luxury suite laughing as the mauling took place. Asked afterwards why he was laughing, Money said he hadn't realized what was transpiring in the stands and that he had been laughing at something funny someone in the suite had said. When asked what that was, Money said he couldn't recall.
After the incident, ESPN and NFFA Network repeatedly broadcast split-screen footage showing Money laughing while Sea Hogs fans were being mauled. By this morning, the blogosphere was abuzz with speculation the Black Dogs' opening-day promotion was a cover-up for a planned assault on Sea Hogs fans by an elite team of black attack dogs led by the commissioner's own pack of four black dogs.
Following the game, Black Dogs president Buddy Ryan issued the following statement: "We offer our sincere apologies to the Fidalgo Island fans who were injured today and we will be covering all their medical costs. Thankfully, no one was killed. We are cooperating fully with the local authorities who are investigating the incident. In all honesty, it was simply a fan promotion gone bad."
The dog attacks were the result of an opening-day promotion gone bad, according to a team statement. East Nashville is famous for the number of black dogs which live there, and that was a huge factor in the Black Dogs franchise's decision to move there three years ago. To show their East Nashville spirit, fans were asked to bring their black dogs to the stadium for the opening game.
At halftime, those who brought their dogs to the game gathered on the field for El Ejecutarse de los Perros Negros or "The Running of the Black Dogs." Metro Nashvegas police officials estimated there were at least 500 black dogs on the field when the public address announcer gave the signal for the owners to drop their leashes.
No longer restrained by their owners, the excited dogs began to run wild — crisscrossing the field, chasing each other, and literally marking the turf. But approximately 40 to 50 dogs ascended into the stands in the Fidalgo Island section and attacked the fans. All 100 of the Sea Hogs faithful in attendance suffered bite wounds in the incident.
A Sea Hogs fan who identified herself as Pussy Little described the terrifying ordeal: "It was like they came right for us, as if they were trained to attack."
Charles L. Ules, a fan who had traveled with his family from Fidalgo Island to Nashvegas for the game, was bitten repeatedly on the neck by one of the attacking dogs. "The dog was going for the jugular," Ules said. "The ER doctor said the beast came within an eighth of an inch of hitting an artery that would have caused me to bleed to death within minutes."
Television cameras captured NFFA commissioner William D. Money in his luxury suite laughing as the mauling took place. Asked afterwards why he was laughing, Money said he hadn't realized what was transpiring in the stands and that he had been laughing at something funny someone in the suite had said. When asked what that was, Money said he couldn't recall.
After the incident, ESPN and NFFA Network repeatedly broadcast split-screen footage showing Money laughing while Sea Hogs fans were being mauled. By this morning, the blogosphere was abuzz with speculation the Black Dogs' opening-day promotion was a cover-up for a planned assault on Sea Hogs fans by an elite team of black attack dogs led by the commissioner's own pack of four black dogs.
Following the game, Black Dogs president Buddy Ryan issued the following statement: "We offer our sincere apologies to the Fidalgo Island fans who were injured today and we will be covering all their medical costs. Thankfully, no one was killed. We are cooperating fully with the local authorities who are investigating the incident. In all honesty, it was simply a fan promotion gone bad."
