Catfish Thrower scandal update: All charges will be dropped.
“Having reviewed the affidavit involving Mr. Waddell as well as the television coverage of the incident, District Attorney Zappala has made the determination that the actions of Mr. Waddell do not rise to the level of criminal charges,” said Allegheny County District Attorney spokesman Mike Manko in a statement.
“As such, the three charges filed against Mr. Waddell will be withdrawn in a timely manner.”
On Tuesday, Nashville Predators fan Jacob Waddell was charged with disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and possessing instruments of a crime for throwing a catfish on the ice at PPG Paints Arena early in the second period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Throwing a catfish on the ice during Predators games has become a tradition at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. However, in Pittsburgh, Waddell was quickly escorted out of the arena, and charged the following morning.
Of course, such a fish story -- and the subsequent fallout -- has created plenty of headline material. The mayors of both cities got involved yesterday, as did PETA.
But the best was a play-by-play description of the events before, during and after the incident that Waddell provided to a Nashville radio station and later detailed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I thought ‘Man, wouldn’t it be awesome to get to go to that game?’” said Waddell. “And then, like an ignorant redneck, I thought ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to throw a catfish on the ice at this game?’”
Game 2 goes tonight in Pittsburgh.