When a favorite team loses, fans pretty much lose their minds. Some have weird Internet meltdowns. Others want to break things. A few more decide to drink their sorrows away. However, for as stupid as some people act, this split-second decision by a San Francisco 49ers fan is as ridiculous as it gets.
After the Niners lost in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, one fan inside Levi's Stadium took it upon himself to do something pretty reckless. As people were exiting following the 27-24 loss, Jorge Alberto Lopez of Santa Clara, Calif., thought it would be a good idea to jump up and vandalize the Joe Montana statue.
Lopez ripped the face mask off the iconic statue — dedicated last year for "The Catch" made by Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC Championship Game — in front of a lot of people, including stadium security. It was even caught on film and shared by NBC's Bonnie-Jill Laflin.
Joe Montana Statue Vandalized
It got even worse for the NFL fan. Jorge Alberto Lopez was identified and was the suspect arrested in the case. He was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail on a charge of felony vandalism, according to the Santa Clara Police Department via NBC Sports.
Vandalizing a statue of former quarterback Joe Montana at a 49ers game in the Bay Area is definitely not a smart thing to do.
"The Joe Montana statue that is part of the 'The Catch' art installation located inside the stadium's Gate A plaza was vandalized following our recent Monday Night Football game. Security personnel apprehended the individual soon thereafter and the Santa Clara Police Department arrested the individual on felony vandalism charges. Crews have already begun repairs on the statue and expect work to be complete prior to Sunday's home game. As this is an ongoing police matter, we will not have any additional comment."
— San Francisco 49ers Statement, via Instagram
Montana's statue and face mask has been repaired in time for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, according to CBS reporter Matt Maiocco.
You would expect this kind of behavior from a high school kid. Not a grown man. It wasn't even the Super Bowl. This was just another regular season game, and now, Jorge Alberto Lopez faces felony vandalism charges to go with one giant mistake.
