As the Philadelphia Eagles celebrated their first Super Bowl championship in franchise history on Sunday, one fan decided he needed a souvenir to take home from the U.S. Bank Arena in Minneapolis.
Naturally, he stood up and ripped his seat off its hinges. The unidentified fan took the seat with him back to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and checked the seat in as a carry-on.
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USA TODAY reported on Wednesday that the fan has agreed to pay the $125 needed to replace the chair, which was one of three stolen after Sunday’s game.
Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority spokeswoman Jennifer Hathaway told the paper that the fan regrets his actions.
A fellow passenger on the Philadelphia fan’s flight snapped a picture of the seat wrapped around the man’s suitcase.
“I kept waiting for somebody to say that he was too intoxicated to get on the plane or that he had a stolen item,” Michael Certa said in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune. “The TSA and the feds are more concerned how much pot you have, not that you have a seat stolen from a stadium.”
Certa posted the photo to Instagram on Tuesday, along with a message tagging the Stadium’s account reading, “You appear to be missing a seat. The drunk guy next to me has it.”
The MSFA made a statement on Tuesday that it was aware of the missing seat and the video that made its way on social media via Barstool Sports. However, it did not file any damage or theft reports and did not ask Minneapolis to investigate.
Vikings fan Zak Flick caught a different Eagles fan breaking one of the stadium seats in celebration.
“I kept waiting for somebody to say that he was too intoxicated to get on the plane or that he had a stolen item,” said Certa, who was returning to Vermont after attending Sunday’s game. “The TSA and the feds are more concerned how much pot you have, not that you have a seat stolen from a stadium.
“It’s like welcoming them into our home and then before going home the child has to break the china.”
