Football given to fan at MetLife after Jalen Hurts touchdown is at center of new lawsuit
A New York man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully detained for refusing to give up a football he received from a Philadelphia Eagles player during a game at MetLife Stadium last year.
Paul Hamilton, of New Berlin, New York, said stadium security and New Jersey State Police officers assaulted and falsely arrested him at a game between the Eagles and New York Giants on Dec. 11, 2022. The officers also "misrepresented and lied" to Hamilton by saying a football handed to him by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after a touchdown was not his property and needed to be returned, according to the suit.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, names numerous other entities as defendants, including the NFL, the Eagles and Giants, the Meadowlands Sports Complex, the East Rutherford Police Department and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
After celebrating with friends following Hurts' touchdown, Hamilton was approached by officials who "improperly demanded" he give up the ball because it was going to be sent to the Hall of Fame, the lawsuit says. The Eagles clinched the playoffs with the win, and Hurts was the first QB to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in consecutive seasons, ESPN reported.
Hamilton asked what rule required him to hand the ball over, and when no answer was provided, he declined to return it.
Shortly afterward, an Eagles representative and two state police officers approached Hamilton and proposed a trade for the ball. One of the officers then "threatened to forcibly take the football from Mr. Hamilton if he does not willingly hand it over," the suit says.
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Hamilton felt unsafe and began to make his way out of the stadium with his friends, but he was grabbed from behind and "forcibly held" against a stadium gate by security, the lawsuit says. A police officer intervened and told Hamilton he was free to leave, but he was apprehended again by about 10 officers while trying to exit the stadium.
The officers took Hamilton to a gated area, where he asked why they were detaining him and said they had no right to do so. According to the lawsuit, a state police officer responded, "I can do what the [expletive] I want to."
Hamilton was then told he was in possession of stolen property and threatened with legal action if he did not turn over the football. He was finally released after an order, overheard on one officer's cellphone, to "let him go and cut him loose," the suit says.
The lawsuit says that although Hamilton was allegedly allowed to leave, "it was not until after the physical damage, assault and battery, threat of arrest and detention, criminal charges, embarrassment, anxiety, humiliation, emotional, and/or mental anguish he endured and suffered." It also says Hamilton began seeing a psychotherapist after the incident and has since suffered from PTSD and other emotional issues.
Hamilton, represented by attorney Adam Thompson, is seeking a jury trial on counts of false arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery, abuse of process and negligence.
Trooper Troy McNair, a public information officer for the state police, said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. A spokesperson for MetLife Stadium could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jalen Hurts football from touchdown at center of NJ lawsuit
