Florida band director injured in attack by Miami fan, school says
The ugliness of No. 8 Florida’s sloppy win over Miami on Saturday wasn’t confined to the game.
A Gators spokesperson said Sunday that the team’s band director Jay Watkins was injured by an attack from a Miami fan after the game, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
According to the spokesperson, the incident occurred as members of the Florida band walked back to their bus following the 24-20 win. A female Miami fan reportedly tried to cut through the group, which drew the attention of Watkins.
What happened from there, per the Sentinel:
Director Jay Watkins "went out to try to stop this person and when he did, somebody else grabbed him behind in a chokehold and threw him on the pavement,” Orlando said.
Watkins sustained bumps and scrapes on his head and elbow, was treated by a paramedic and boarded the bus back to Gainesville.
The Orlando Police Department reportedly said Watkins is declining to press charges, but wanted a report on the incident documented. No description of Watkins’ attacker was given.
[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo College Fantasy Football league for free today]
No student band members were reportedly injured, though one woman was apparently so upset that her nose started bleeding.
Such an incident is a sad footnote for Florida’s Week 0 win, in which the Gators and Hurricanes exchanged touchdowns and turnovers until the Florida defense finally got a couple of stops to end the game.
More from Yahoo Sports:
