Fan files lawsuit against Browns after being wrongfully banned for pouring beer on Logan Ryan
It’s been just over a month since the Cleveland Browns banned the wrong fan for pouring beer on the Titans’ Logan Ryan after a Week 1 celebration in the Dawg Pound, and now that mistakenly identified fan is taking the team to court.
According to a report from ESPN, Cleveland resident Eric Smith filed a lawsuit against the Browns seeking a public retraction and financial damages for the team’s decision to ban him from FirstEnergy Stadium. Smith, who works as an event DJ in Cleveland, claimed that he wasn’t at the game and that he hadn’t attended a Browns game in nearly a decade.
Photos and videos of the actual beer-throwing fan also supported the argument that the Browns had the wrong guy. Smith notably has a tattoo on his arm that would have been visible.
On top of that, Smith was working a wedding at the time of the game and was able to prove his whereabouts.
Once the story went viral and hit local newscasts, the Browns — behind closed doors — realized they had made a mistake.
ESPN went on to report that the Browns privately apologized to Smith for the error, but the team hadn’t issued a public retraction.