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player ready...A Jessup man was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with a serious head injury Sunday night after an altercation at M&T Bank Stadium with two Oakland Raiders fans, who were arrested, Baltimore police said.
Police spokesman Donny Moses said he couldn’t confirm how the altercation started, but said he was at the stadium Sunday afternoon when he heard police summoned about a fight on a ramp between the third and fourth levels, and calls made for an ambulance.
On Monday police identified the men charged as Scott Smith, 30, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., and Andrew Nappi, 31, of Eastchester, N.Y. Both were charged with first- and second-degree assault, court records show. Nappi was released on $25,000 bail, while Smith’s status was unclear from court records.
Susan Bauer identified the injured man as her brother, Joseph Bauer, 55. She said he was attending the game with his wife and another couple when he got into a verbal argument with a group of Raiders fans near a concession stand toward the end of the game.
Susan Bauer said her brother’s head hit the concrete after he was struck, knocking him unconscious and causing a serious head injury. She said he was in critical condition with a subdural hematoma, which causes blood to pool on the brain. Bauer said doctors had told the family he had a 30 percent chance of survival.
“My brother is in critical condition on life support over a football game,” said Susan Bauer, who also lives in Jessup. “We’re in shock over this.”
Bauer said her brother is a former Marine who works for Schuster Concrete. She said the family was told two suspects were being detained, but police didn’t identify them. Bauer criticized police for not sharing more information about the case, and also was upset no one from the Ravens organization had reached out to the family.
“I’m really upset with the lack of response overall,” she said.
In a statement issued Monday, the Ravens organization said:
“Our sympathies and prayers go out to Mr. Joseph Bauer, his wife Sharon and the rest of his family. We have reached out to the family and have received a report on Mr. Bauer’s condition.
“We are deeply concerned about this assault and are learning as much as we can about it. Safety for our fans is a top priority. Confrontational and inflammatory behavior is never tolerated and is unacceptable at Ravens home games.”
Later in the day, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also issued a statement, expressing “heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Joe Bauer and his family for what happened at the game Sunday, which is absolutely inexcusable.
“That’s just not what we’re about,” Harbaugh said of the incident. “We’re a family. It’s a family atmosphere. We believe in having kids in the stands. That’s why we have cheerleaders, that’s why we have a band. It’s all about a family environment. That’s why we play the music that we play.
“Whatever security has to be out there, whatever has to be done will be done because … we’re not going to have it at M&T Bank Stadium,” he said. “Our prayers are with Joe and his family, and our thoughts are with him, and we’ll be pulling for him.”
Moses said police had released as much information to the family as they were able to at the time.
“You just don’t expect that you would go to a football game and someone would put you in intensive care,” Bauer said. “I just can’t even believe it’s happening.”