The next time a fan is kicked out of an NFL stadium for being unruly, he or she will have to take a $75 four-hour online class and pass a code-of-conduct test for readmittance.
The next time a fan is kicked out of an NFL stadium for being unruly, he or she will have to take a $75 four-hour online class and pass a code-of-conduct test for readmittance.
"We're not trying to squash anyone's passion. We're just trying to say don't be violent," Dr. Ari Novick, a licensed psychotherapist who developed the idea, told the New York Post.
Stadium requirements will vary across the league, but most of the time, a booted fan will be required to pass the conduct test, Novick said.
At MetLife Stadium, security chief Daniel DeLorenzi said about 25 fans are kicked out of the stadium at each Jets and Giants game. In order to combat a growing trend of unruly behavior, MetLife was the first, along with the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, to require completion of the class and test in 2010.
In New York, the rowdy fans also are required to write DeLorenzi a letter of apology. But he said about 25 percent of people will never take the class and are placed on the "unforgiven" list, which contains the name, photo and seat number of every fan who has been ejected.
The class is available at FanConductClass.com, and the taker must correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions to pass.
Novick, the creator of the concept, takes $55 from the test fee, and the rest of the money is donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers.
