Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner gets paid to tackle elite offensive football players. Last night, his defensive prowess came in handy for a different reason.
Just before halftime of the Rams’ Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Wagner -- with a bit of help from teammate Takkarist McKinley -- helped apprehend a guy that ran onto the field near the 40-yard line; and by apprehend, I mean absolutely flatten with a vicious tackle.
Former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, who have their own broadcast of the ESPN’s marquee NFL matchup (called “The Manningcast”), thoroughly enjoyed analyzing the fan getting dropped to the ground. The man in question was wearing a t-shirt that had “Right to Rescue Cow” written on it and was carrying a flare device that emitted pink smoke.
Bobby Wagner takes out streaker pic.twitter.com/F61JSH9RE8
— ValentinySports (@ValentinySports) October 4, 2022
“That’s what we’re talking about! Wagner! A veteran…Get him down, get out, and let these guys [the security] take over,” Peyton said.
Wagner said he wasn’t taking any chances when he saw the young man trespass onto the playing field.
"That's not making a play. That's just keeping it safe,” Wagner said. "You don't know what that fan got or what they're doing. You see it all the time, and we don't know what they're carrying in their pockets. It's whatever that little smoke stuff is, but that s--- could be dangerous."
For the unnamed fan, this is the definition of winning stupid prizes for playing stupid games.
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The Manning brothers weren’t the only ones to find it amusing. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said it was one of the best things that happened that night.
"I saw Bobby Wagner take somebody out," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "That was kind of cool to see."
This isn’t the first NFL game this year that has seen an animal rights demonstration happen. In the Rams Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills, two female protesters - who were also carrying flare guns that emitted pink smoke - stormed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, whenever an animal rights activist storms the field in one of their games this season, they end up losing. The Bills won 31-10 in that matchup, and the 49ers came away with a 24-9 win over their division rivals.