Bomber fans cry foul over ‘Rider’s throw into the stands

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This article was published 09/12/2021 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan has lodged a complaint against a Saskatchewan Roughriders player after an incident during last weekend’s division final game.

Early in the first quarter, Roughriders defensive back Ed Gainey hurled a football into the stands at a pair of heckling Bombers fans, said complainant Tony Carvalho.

Gainey’s throw was low and to the right, nearly striking 17-year-old AJ Boyko, Carvalho said.

AJ, a former Make-A-Wish Foundation recipient who suffers from a congenital heart defect, was caught unaware. Carvalho intercepted the ball inches from his face, AJ said.

“(The football) was already frozen — completely blown up. It was rock hard. And he winded up and rifled it as a CFL player, like, professional level,” AJ said. “It probably would’ve broken my nose.”

Carvalho and Danny Boyko, AJ’s father, both said Gainey threw the ball with enough force to cause an injury.

“He’s a professional football player. To me, that’s like a boxer throwing a punch,” Boyko said.

Carvalho and his friend Brad Buckoski were the intended targets of the ball. The season ticket holders wear wrestling gear and call themselves the Legion of Blue. They often heckle opposing teams but have never seen a player react in anger, Carvalho said.

Moments before the ball was thrown, Carvalho and Buckoski were taunting Gainey and fellow Roughrider Loucheiz Purifoy with a Snickers bar and repeating a phrase that sounded like “you’re not you when you’re hungry,” Boyko said.

The Snickers bar was in reference to a recent disturbance in a Regina restaurant in which Purifoy was detained by the Regina Police Service, Carvalho said.

Purifoy acknowledged the disturbance during a news conference last month.

“I was hangry,” he said at the time.

Boyko described the heckling as typical, and not especially malicious or personal.

“There’s a certain level of acceptable behaviour and acceptable trash-talking and gestures, but whipping stuff at fans is not acceptable,” Carvalho said. “(Had I) whipped that Snickers bar at him, I could be looking at getting kicked out.”

After the game, Carvalho complained to the Bombers and the team notified the CFL, as per league protocol.

Late Thursday, the CFL said it would look into the complaint. The Roughriders didn’t respond to the Free Press.

The incident won’t keep AJ from attending games, but he deemed Gainey’s action unprofessional and irresponsible.

“We were wondering why he shouldn’t get kicked out for throwing a football in the crowd. It should work both ways,” AJ said.

AJ does not expect Gainey to face punishment but would like to see him take responsibility by apologizing, he said.

The Bombers beat the Roughriders 21-17 in the frigid division final.

At the same time, the Toronto Argonauts were facing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in their own division final.

The Tiger-Cats won 27-19. After the game, video surfaced online that appeared to show Argonauts players and Tiger-Cats fans fighting in the stands.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca