A Kansas City-area man is facing up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $1,000 for allegedly shining a laser pointer at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during the 2019 AFC title game, as well as a potential lifetime ban from Arrowhead Stadium.
According to the Kansas City Star, prosecutors did not say how police determined the person who did the laser pointer shining, but they identified the man as Dwyan Morgan, 64, of Lee's Summit, Missouri.
A Kansas City Police Department spokesman said in January that off-duty officers assigned to the Chiefs game did not get any reports of a laser being pointed.
However, a source with the Chiefs said the team used videotape and eyewitnesses to identify the culprit after William Joy of KMBC Channel 9 first shared footage of a green light being directed at Brady.
The NFL began conducting its own investigation into the situation after video apparently showed the laser being shined on Brady during the fourth quarter of the game. (The play was a handoff to Sony Michel, but Brady was intercepted two snaps later.) It then happened again later in the fourth.
Our photographer, Turner Twyman, caught someone pointing what appears to be a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face last night. Play between the "muff" that wasn't and Sorensen int. @NFL, @Patriots and @Chiefs all told me they weren't aware of the incident. pic.twitter.com/ejWBQ6i64C
— William Joy (@WilliamKMBC) January 21, 2019
It happened one other time that we've seen on a pass to Hogan. #Chiefs #Patriots pic.twitter.com/27QkYf0m9P
— William Joy (@WilliamKMBC) January 21, 2019
It should be obvious why laser pointers are not allowed at NFL games: not only can they potentially provide a competitive advantage by momentarily distracting players, but they can potentially cause damage to players' eyes. The Chiefs reportedly pushed for the maximum penalty for whoever was later identified as the culprit of the laser-pointing, though it remains to be seen whether that will indeed be the result.
