 |
| Police officers wearing camouflage,
bullet-proof vests and Kevlar helmets used pepper spray to break up
crowds in Columbus after Ohio State's football team won the National
Championships |
The Ohio
State Buckeyes made college football history on Monday as they stormed
to National Championship victory over Oregon in the first College
Football Playoff Championship - but in the adrenaline-pumped excitement
managed to trample one of their own cheerleaders as they ran onto the
field.
A
cheerleader, who was enthusiastically shaking her pom-poms, ended up
face-down on the field as she tried to scramble out the way of the
rushing players.
The
young woman had been carrying the 'O' flag to complete the waving
banner for Ohio which also ended up being trampled into the field at
Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas. As she struggled to escape, one
player then tripped over her, almost causing a domino-effect among the
rushing team.
The
cheerleader was rescued by a teammate and was reportedly fine following
the incident, watching the game from the sidelines.
Some
80,000 screaming fans turned out to the stadium to watch the tense game
which saw Ohio crush the University of Oregon with a 42-20 win - a
surprising victory for the underdog team which sparked wild celebrations
in Columbus with around 40 small fires lit in the streets and police
forced to use pepper-spray on some of the thousands of revelers.
The two
teams were playing the first College Football Playoff championship in
Arlington - and among those in the stands was basketball superstar (and
Ohio State fan), LeBron James, who tweeted: 'On this bird celebrating a
great night for OHIO!! THE Ohio State Buckeyes are National Champions!!
#OH.'
Ohio
blew away the Ducks, beating them 42-20 with third-choice quarterback
Cardale Jones. Oregon had been considered the favorite in part due to
their star quarterback Marcus Mariota, who won the Heisman Trophy this
season.
Ohio
State made it to the championship despite losing two talented
quarterbacks to injuries this season and went into the game being very
much seen as the underdogs.
Ezekiel
Elliott ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns for Ohio State, who
become the first university to claim a national football title via a
knock-out playoff competition.
The
national collegiate title has long been a coveted commodity in a sport
that sparks pride and passions across the United States often greater
than those produced by professional teams.
Following
the surprise win, chaotic celebrations broke out in Columbus, Ohio as
hundreds of fans gathered in the downtown streets with police struggling
to keep order in a city gripped by football fever.
Police
and SWAT teams dressed in full-camouflage gear and Kevlar helmets used
tear gas to disperse the crowds after earlier urging fans to show they
'have class'.
Thousands
of fans cheering and blowing car horns converged on Ohio State
University's stadium shortly after the win, only to be turned away by
police.
That
forced them back to an area of bars around the campus where most of the
trouble took place, with between 30 and 40 fires lit in trash cans and
dumpsters.
One image taken from social networks showed a man pouring fuel on to a sofa which sat burning in the middle of the road.
Social
media users posted images from the streets of SWAT teams marshaling
crowds, and fires burning in the middle of intersections while patrol
cars pushed through massed fans.
Pushover: An Ohio State cheerleader
was trampled by players from the team as they run onto the field ahead
of the National Championships on Monday night in Arlington, Texas
Obstacle: As she hit the floor at
Cowboy Stadium, the cheerleader immediately tried to get up (still
clutching her pom-poms). However one of the players then tripped over
her, causing a near disaster
Escape: In the end, one of her male
teammates came to her rescue and pushed her away from the path of the
team's tunnel. The young woman was reportedly fine following the
incident and watched the game from the sidelines
The Columbus Dispatch reported that pepper spray was used. News medis obtained footage of fans crowding around police vehicles.
Local reporter Jeremy Pelzer uploaded
a series of images showing the city's High Street purportedly being hit
by tear gas after crowds couldn't be dispersed.
He wrote: 'Just saw an officer pepper spray a guy at point-blank range in the face when he was already on his knees in pain.'
He had previously pictured SWAT teams gathering on the streets, some of whom were wearing gas masks.
E
xtra officers were posted on the streets to maintain order.
Police said between 30 and 40 fires
were started during the trouble last night, with the majority of those
being in trash cans or dumpsters
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. You email address and IP Address has been recorded for future reference. any anonymous comment which is deemed abusive will be removed and investigated for further action.