A devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan passed away after they fell from a light pole while celebrating the team’s NFC Championship win on Sunday. According to TMZ, the deceased Philadelphia Eagles fan has been identified as Temple University student-athlete Tyler Sabapathy. He was 18 years old and was a member of the university’s recreation gymnastics team.
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Temple University released a statement about the tragic incident, calling Sabapathy a “promising” young man.
“There are no words that can make sense of it,” Temple University President John Fry wrote, “and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler’s family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved him.”
TMZ further reported that Sabapathy slipped and fell while climbing a pole as he and dozens of other Philadelphia Eagles fans celebrated the team’s 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders during the NFC Championship.
After falling off the pole, Sabapathy hit his head on the sidewalk. He was hospitalized with a brain injury and died two days later.
Several Philadelphia Eagles fans were arrested and cited during the postgame celebration. A car also drove through a crowd of fans, and gunshots were heard.
City of Philadelphia officials previously greased poles before Eagles games to prevent fans from climbing them. However, whether the poles were greased before Sunday’s game hasn’t been confirmed.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Head Coach Nick Sirianni Speaks Out About the Team’s Return to the Super Bowl
Following the big NFC Championship win over the Washington Commanders, the Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni, spoke out about the team’s return to the Super Bowl.
“Great organization that we have, starting with (Chairman/CEO) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie, (Executive Vice President/General Manager) Howie (Roseman),” Sirianni stated. “I don’t think I’ve shied away from how much those guys mean to me. You can’t be great without the greatness of others, and it starts with Mr. Lurie. Howie does a great job of getting guys in here and helping there. Just to have that solid GM that’s been through everything is huge. Great partnership I have with him.”
“And then it’s about the people, really, to be honest with you,” he continued. “It’s always about the people, and we’ve got some great people in this.”
Philadelphia Eagles quarter Jalen Hurts also spoke out about the team’s fantastic postseason.
“I just think you have to give a ton of gratitude,” he shared. “These are my personal testimonies, and I know my personal perspective is not always a reflection of what is most important to the team and what we’re trying to do as a team because every team is different. So then clearly, as a team, the mission is to go take advantage of the opportunities we present ourselves with.”
He then added, “But also, I have my history and the things that I’ve experienced that I can use as tools to help those around me and help myself. And so a lot of this stuff is presented to us, and we all have that plateau to learn from all of our experiences.”
The Philadelphia Eagles will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX. The teams played against each other during Super Bowl LVIII in 2023.