A die-hard Lions fan argues with the opposing head coach before the game against the Packers. Now he has been informed of the consequences.

As an NFL fan, you can get emotional.

That’s part of it. But it always depends on how passionate it gets – and that you don’t cross any lines in the process.

That happened to Fahad Yousif. He is the fan who so infuriated Packers head coach Matt LaFleur during the team’s recent game against the Detroit Lions.

Lions fan Yousif is now facing the consequences of the incident: He has been stripped of his season tickets. In an email from the franchise, it was stated that he has lost his tickets “indefinitely”.

Yousif is devastated. “It was a tough hit,” he told the Detroit News. “Just waking up and seeing that email and not being able to talk to somebody in person, it was a horrible feeling. Not having an opportunity to tell my side of the story or anything.”

Packers coach: “I’ve never experienced anything like it”

“I’ve never experienced anything like it. He insulted our players and showed them the head-off gesture,” LaFleur said at the press conference after the game. He tried to de-escalate the situation and then became the target of the fan himself, LaFleur continued: ”I thought it was all pretty unsportsmanlike.”

He had never seen anything like it, he complained: “I’ve been to a lot of stadiums, and normally there is much better control,” he said, calling the fan “arrogant.”

The dispute arose when Yousif was one of the US flag-holders for the anthem on the field before the game. “You’re going down,” he had shouted at the Packers when LaFleur intervened. The coach was initially pulled away by assistant coaches. However, LaFleur apparently turned around, yanked off his headset and began gesticulating again. It remained that way, everything was done verbally.

Security then escorted Yousif off the field, and he was even asked to leave the stadium during halftime. This week, the Lions announced the news. An attempt to have a clarifying conversation with an employee was not particularly satisfactory. “Basically, he told me to go to hell,” said Yousif.

Lions fan admits mistake

The 30-year-old admits his mistake, but also believes LaFleur bears some responsibility. Yousif said he did not swear at the Packers coach.

But the Lions are currently being tough. Yousif, who has been a fan for what feels like forever, is of course aware of what part of the season he is now missing. What a season the Lions are playing. They are currently 12-1 and a hot Super Bowl favorite.

“It just makes it worse,” Yousif said. ‘This has been my identity my whole life and it was just snatched away because of a minor incident. It’s definitely something I could have avoided.’ He would therefore apologize to everyone and do whatever it takes to get back into the stadium.