There are some crazy, passionate football fans for every team. The Carolina Panthers have a few who dress up with blue hair and Panther claws. And there are other fans who lead the crowd in cheers. One of those fans was tossed out of Thursday night's game.
"In 1993 when the tickets went on sale, and Jerry Richardson was saying, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' I said, 'You're welcome,'" said Joe Nejberger.
A Panthers PSL owner since day one, he says he's "sat in the same section for 14 years now."
Nejberger even has a routine he does after every Panther touchdown.
"I put my hands out with my fingers extended as if they were claws. I say, 'How 'bout them Panthers. ... About 10 years or so ago I started adding the choreographed 'C-A-T-S. What's that spell? CATS,'" Nejberger said.
But at Thursday night's preseason game against the Pittsburg Steelers he says, "This little feller in a red shirt said I needed to sit down, and I said, 'I've been doing this for 14 years. You got to be kidding.' Next thing I know there was a posse of cops, a deputy sheriff and Charlotte police escorted me to security."
Nejberger says Panthers security never gave him a reason for booting him from the stands. He says they just told him, "You have to go or we're going to have to put you in jail."
Nejberger says he was not intoxicated at the time.
"You can't get drunk on $7 beers. No, I was not drunk at all," he said.
After calling and e-mailing the Panthers all day Friday, Nejberger got an e-mail from the stadium operations manager telling him they are investigating the incident and will need the weekend to talk to everyone involved.
Nejberger just wants an apology.
"If I feel good about the response I get from the Panthers, I will not sell my tickets or PSL. I'll consider coming back to the games," he said. "Right now my tickets are on sale. I'm disgusted."
Nejberger says he's hurt by all this and he finds it ironic that he's the one guy that gets the crowd going and cheering even when the Panthers are losing.
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