While Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh entered NFL history after beating the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10 in Week 1, certain players and fans got into something else entirely. During the game, Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer got into a fight with Raiders cornerback Josh Jones, which soon involved multiple players. On the other hand, various Chargers fans got into a fight with Raiders fans, as seen on social media clips, both in the stands of SoFi Stadium and on the parking lot.
The officials ejected both Palmer and Jones after their scuffle, which even drew Harbaugh off the sidelines to separate the teams from getting further into it. Moreover, the NFL decided not to suspend either player, though they might levy fines. However, it remains unclear what happened after the viral videos of the fans fighting.
Raiders fans fight Chargers fans
A user on X, formerly Twitter, with the handle @MlVideos27 uploaded a series of videos of fans fighting in the stands and outside the stadium. The videos also seem to show multiple angles of about three fights, though it remains unclear whether the fights occurred in the same section of the stands or in different locations.
One of these fights involved a heavyset Raiders fan in dreadlocks and a No. 42 jersey swinging at a female Raiders fan in black while being restrained by another big Raiders fan in a white cap and gray shirt. One of the videos even called the brawl “Raider on Raider violence.”
Another fight took place in the stands, featuring a Raiders fan in a Davante Adams jersey taunting a Chargers fans in an Antonio Gates jersey, which ended up in both fans grabbing and throwing haymakers at each other.
Meanwhile, another brawl involved a shirtless man charging at a Chargers fan in a Philip Rivers jersey. The Chargers fan ended up trapping the shirtless man in what looks like a guillotine choke to restrain him. When he released the hold, the two men promptly started throwing hands at each other.
The worst fight in the videos went viral outside the stadium, where a Raiders fan in a No. 5 Divine Deablo jersey threw punches at a few Chargers fans after the game. He hits another Raiders fan in a No. 98 Maxx Crosby white jersey, but a Chargers fan in a No. 3 Derwin James jersey threw the knockout blow. When the dogpile cleared, the Raiders fan in the Deablo jersey is laying on the ground while the other Raiders and Chargers fan kept hitting him in the face.
Even a woman in a black dress joined the melee and started hitting the unresponsive bloodied man in the back of the head.
It remains unclear whether the NFL should intervene in these scuffles, but these unfortunate brawls during games have become more and more common. Football is an extremely competitive sport, but only the players should get physical, not the fans.
