In the whole offseason, the Washington Commanders were a center point of discussion as Dan Snyder’s two-decade long reign as owner of the franchise came to an end. However, under the wings of the new owner Josh Harris, this season they kicked off their regular season game facing off the Arizona Cardinals on their home turf at the FedEx Field.
The Commanders rebounded to defeat the Cardinals 20-16 in a decisive fashion after a contentious Snyder era. Despite the victory, the Washington team’s opening game made news because of a vicious fight that broke out between fans.
Commanders’ fans involved in brutal melee
Apart from the play between the players of the two teams, an initial melee between a fan of the Commanders and some Baltimore Ravens fans was caught on a video. Despite the fact that the Ravens were not playing, Martino Ancora, a supporter of the team, traveled to FedEx Field to support his girlfriend while wearing a Ray Lewis Ravens jersey. Reportedly, his girlfriend was a Commanders fan.
“I was there at the game with my girlfriend. I was being a spectator. She’s a fan of the Commanders. I was just there supporting her on opening day,” the Ravens fan said.
Ancora was shown getting struck in the head six times by a Commanders fan in the viral video. The fans of the Commanders’ side pulled back his arms before smacking him several times. The Ravens’ fan reportedly suffered scratches, bruises, and stitches to his face as well as damage to his arms before being later seen stumbling to his feet.
Raven’s fan charged with assault
Ancora was detained by Prince George’s County police on Sunday after the game. According to the nearby Fox station, the 33-year-old Ravens fan was indicted with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and second-degree assault.
The Ravens fan voiced his amazement at being arrested, claiming that he was actually the victim of the incident and not the person responsible. In an interview with FOX 5, he also claimed that the Commanders’ supporter shoved him first.
“I was cheering for the Commanders as I’m in the row, there’s a guy a row ahead of me … He started being disrespectful with his words, and as you can see on the video, he pushed me first and as he pushed me I tried to lean in, and I was gonna push him back, but before I could push them back, the guy in our row actually rushed the whole aisle and knocked us all on to the ground.”
Ancora was detained on the grounds that there were allegedly unnoticed problems following the altercation. The fan has been noticed to show up in court in a couple of weeks.
What’s your take on the brawl? Let us know in the comment box.
