The Chiefs fan who allegedly used a laser pointer during the AFC Championship Game in an attempt to bother Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has reportedly been caught thanks to video footage and eyewitnesses, and he'll face a harsher punishment than a standard stadium ban.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who cited league sources in his report, not only has the fan been banned from Arrowhead Stadium for life, he'll also be charged by the Kansas City district attorney. Schefter reported that Kansas City police only wanted to cite the man with disorderly conduct, but the Chiefs are pushing for "the harshest penalty possible" as they try to deter fans from using laser pointers in the future.
Footage of the laser pointer being used on Brady is below:
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
For obvious reasons, laser pointers are not allowed at NFL games. Not only can they be a distraction to players, but they can also cause eye damage.
This isn't the first time a laser pointer has been used on a quarterback. Two seasons ago, then-Texans quarterback Osweiler (remember those days?) got lasered during a game against the Raiders in Mexico City. After, Osweiler called the laser "very noticeable" and said that "having a laser zoomed in on your eyeball definitely affects how you play a game."
But it did not stop Brady, who led the Patriots past the Chiefs by seemingly converting every single crucial third down late in the game as the Chiefs and Patriots engaged in an epic shootout. The Chiefs never got the chance to possess the ball in overtime because their defense failed to stop Brady on three third-and-10s on the Patriots' game-winning series.
It was an eventful postseason for Chiefs fans, who might've enjoyed the luxury of home-field advantage a bit too much. There was the laser pointer in the AFC Championship Game. The week prior, in their win over the Colts in the divisional round, snowballs were thrown onto the field, which led to Andy Reid admonishing the crowd after an official presumably warned him that his team could get flagged for the infractions.
