Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy ripped away a visiting Washington Redskin fan's team flag at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday prior to the NFC East divisional matchup between the Eagles and Redskins. The act occurred when a fan was waving a Redskins flag near the tunnel to the Philadelphia locker room, which prompted a quick snatch and grab reaction from McCoy.
McCoy would later injure his hamstring in the game before returning as the Eagles held on for a 24-16 victory over their divisional foes where McCoy rushed for 77 yards and had two touchdowns on 20 carries to bring his season total to a league-leading 213 carries for an NFL-best 1,009 yards and five touchdowns.
According to The Washington Post, the fan was named Alex Sofillas, who brought a flag that read "You're In Redskins Country" in Redskin colors to the game, which was contested in Philadelphia, and drew the ire of the Eagles running back.
Sofillas, 21, a student at West Virginia, moved down from his seats to the front railing of his section, where he was seen waving the sign according to the paper. McCoy, who came over to share high-fives with the Eagles fans before the game, noticed Sofillas waving the sign and decided to snatch it, crumple it up and toss it on the ground before trotting off the field.
Sofillas talked with the paper after the game about the incident.
"It was shocking," Sofillas told The Washington Post. "I was like, 'What just happened?' He was like, 'Get this outta here, man.' He was very strong. His grasp on the flag and his pull was so strong. It was very shocking."
The incident was caught on cameras by Fox Sports and divided fans into two separate opinions--those who thought McCoy was out of line to take the flag, and those who believed that Sofillas was badgering him.
"I don't think I was really taunting him. I was excited like everyone else was excited," Sofillas said via the paper.
Sofillas reportedly got the flag back from Comcast SportsNet crew members who picked it up and gave it back to him.
"The Eagles fans thought it was really cool," Sofillas told the newspaper when he recalled the incident. "One of them wanted the flag as a keepsake, I think because LeSean touched it. He didn't even offer to buy it. He just wanted it. One guy during the game wanted to bet me 30 bucks and the flag on the winner of the game but I declined."
Sofillas said he held no ill-will towards McCoy after the incident.
"When it happened, I don't think he was doing it in good spirit. But afterwards, I think he realized how it looked," Sofillas told the paper. "But it was the heat of the moment. I understood. He was pretty pumped up. It was right after the players came out of the locker room. I was standing by a bunch of Eagles fans so he came over to fire them up. I think he just got caught up in the moment."
Sofillas may think twice about bringing a Redskins flag into a Philadelphia stadium the next time around.
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