Rams LB Bobby Wagner 'Took Out' Frustrations on Streaking Fan
The Los Angeles Rams had a difficult night inside Levi's Stadium, losing 24-9 to the San Francisco 49ers and falling to 2-2 on the season.
For as frustrating as the performance was, perhaps nobody had it worse than the protesting fan who stormed onto the field with a pink smoke stick.
The fan entered the playing field before a Rams punt on 4th and 22 late in the first half with the 49ers leading 14-6. Los Angeles' defense had just allowed a 57-yard touchdown to San Francisco receiver Deebo Samuel, and linebacker Bobby Wagner was not pleased - with the play or the fan.
Debriefing in preparation for the next defensive series, Wagner looked up and saw smoke. The rest is history, summed up well by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan after the game: "I saw Bobby Wagner take somebody out. That was kind of cool to see."
Wagner, who finished with a team-high 10 tackles (11 if you ask the streaker), revealed his thought process after the game.
"I just saw somebody running on the field, and he looked like he wasn't supposed to be on the field," Wagner said. "I saw security was having a little problem, so I helped them out."
Wagner and outside linebacker Takkarist McKinley finished the job for security, who, notably, stopped another protester from rushing the field earlier in the game.
The motive behind Wagner's hit was straightforward - protect others, because it's far better to be safe than sorry in uncertain situations such as that one.
"That's just keeping it safe," stated Wagner. "You don't know what that fan got or what they don't. We don't know what they're carrying in their pockets, it's whatever that little smoke stuff is, but (it could be) dangerous. I was frustrated, so I took it out on the fan."
While the moment provided an outlet of relief for Wagner, things didn't get much better thereafter, as Los Angeles failed to reach the endzone at any point and mustered just three points in the second half en route to its seventh loss in eight games against San Francisco.
As the fan recovers from the crushing hit, Wagner and the Rams will look to rebound on a short week as they host the Dallas Cowboys at 1:25 p.m. on Sunday.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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