Talk about getting sued over getting a chilly reception.
Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis has reportedly been sued by a Seattle Seahawks fan who claims he suffered physical and emotional pain after he was pelted with a snowball.
The snowball fight occurred in 2008 after the Jets lost on the road to the Seahawks 13-3 and eliminated from the playoffs.
According to the lawsuit, the burly Ellis, 33, was bitter about the defeat and as he strolled off the field, he “stopped, picked up a large block or chunk or packed snow … and threw it into the crowd” striking a man named Robert Larson, TMZ.com reported.
A video featuring Ellis tossing the gigantic snowball was captured on video by fans and posted to YouTube.
In the video, Seattle fans are the one tossing snowballs at Jets players as they walk into the tunnel, and that’s when Ellis fires one back at the fan.
“Shaun Ellis was fined $10,000 for tossing a large snow clump in the direction of fans. Players are notified prior to each season that any contact with fans that potentially presents crowd-control issues and risk of injury is prohibited,” an NFL spokesman said at the time.
In the lawsuit, Larson, a Seahawks season-ticket holder, also claims he had been waving a pro-Seahawks sign, which made him a target of Ellis’ postgame ire.
Larson does not specify in the lawsuit how much money he is seeking in damages.
Larson claims Ellis, who was a rookie in 2008, subsequently said the snowball toss was “all in fun.”
But TMZ reported that Larson claims he suffered physical injury, humiliation, mental distress, pain and wage loss.
With AP