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An Iowa fan seems to have paid an absurd amount of money to protest a fair catch call from the Hawkeyes’ loss to Minnesota. Sitting right behind home plate, he held a sign reading, “It wasn’t a fair catch,” during Game 3 of the World Series.
During that 12-10 loss to the Golden Gophers, a controversial penalty played a part in the outcome. In the final moments of the fourth quarter of that game, Minnesota punted to Iowa giving the Hawkeyes one last chance to win.
Return man Cooper DeJean picked up the punt off a bounce, taking it 45 yards to the house to give his team a late lead.
Or so he thought.
Referees ruled that DeJean had called for a fair catch. He certainly signaled for something, but depending on who you talk to, that interpretation differs.
Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck said it was the correct call by the book, even noting that his own return team had been involved in a similar situation earlier this year.
“There’s nothing controversial about it… An invalid fair catch signal is an invalid fair catch signal,” Fleck replied when asked about the play after the game. “When you poison or peter any call, you cannot advance that ball.”
Iowa supporters believe DeJean had simply been warning his teammates not to touch the ball by pointing it out on the field.
You be the judge.
@247sports Do you agree with the call? #collegefootball #cfb ♬ original sound – Audios
In any case, it took six points and a potential win off the board for the 6-1 Hawkeyes.
The home crowd was upset with the call at the time, with many tossing trash onto the field to display their disgust with the officiating crew. It seems those Hawkeyes still haven’t let the unfortunate call go.
Iowa fan trolls referees with “It wasn’t a fair catch” sign.
This Hawkeyes supporter protested the call on a national stage, showing up to the World Series with a sign reading, “It wasn’t a fair catch.” His seat behind home plate was front and center for the cameras to see.
Some have been trying to figure out how expensive that troll job was.
Had to figure out about how much this Iowa fan spent to flash this “It Wasn’t a Fair Catch” sign. We know these are ticket prices for tomorrow’s Game 4. We’re assuming around $1500 spent. pic.twitter.com/gid1eRWc0y
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 31, 2023
The Sickos Committe social media account’s first estimate was around $1,500 after looking at ticket prices for Game 4. Some believe it could’ve been much, much more.
“So, there’s only four ‘field level’ suites,” this follower commented, seeming to have a better grasp of the Chase Field setup. “I think that’s the only one with an 18-person capacity, so it was listed in my email as $30,000.”
If that’s the case, this could be one of the pricier protests from a random fan we’ve seen.