George Norcross Tossed from Box for Displaying Israeli Flag at Eagles Game (updated)
You know George Norcross, yeah? Big Democratic power broker in New Jersey. Started PhillyVoice and used to be an Inquirer co-owner. He was booted from the Linc Sunday:
George Norcross was physically removed from the @Eagles game today because he is played a banner of the American and Israeli flags outside his box. pic.twitter.com/xsgZN5cEdw
— David Wildstein (@wildstein) November 6, 2023
Wildstein followed up by saying “Chris Christie was a guest in George Norcross’ box. He said or did nothing as his friend was being escorted out. I guess his nachos were not in jeopardy.”
A story in the New York Post explains that the Eagles have loose restrictions on signage at games:
Lincoln Financial Field does not have any specific policy against displaying flags, but its policy on signs and banners says security can remove anything that is “potentially offensive.”
“Signs, banners or similar items that are obscene or indecent, not event-related, potentially offensive to other patrons, capable of blocking views of other fans or otherwise deemed dangerous or inappropriate by the Eagles are prohibited,” it says.
“Lincoln Financial Field reserves the right to confiscate any signs that are in violation of stadium policy.”
Here’s the signage rule in its entirety, taken from the Linc’s website:
“Banners and Signs Signs, banners or similar items that are obscene or indecent, not event-related, potentially offensive to other patrons, capable of blocking the views of other fans or otherwise deemed dangerous or inappropriate by the Eagles are prohibited. They may not contain commercial messages, logos or political endorsements and may not be hung on the stadium structure. Signs on poles or sticks larger than 1 foot in length, constructed of wood or metal material, are also not permitted. Lincoln Financial Field reserves the right to confiscate signs that are in violation of stadium policy.”
Rules are rules, eh? What’s interesting here is that the Eagles made a public statement on Israel a few weeks ago and Jeffrey Lurie is Jewish, so honestly that flag is aligned with sentiment at the top of the organization. Homeboy wasn’t up there waving the Palestinian flag, right? That’s what makes this one curious, regardless of the obvious rule violation.
Anyway, go Birds! They are 1-0 in games where George Norcross gets tossed from his box.
EDIT 1: here’s a statement from Norcross:
“Yesterday, I was forcibly removed and assaulted by the non-police security staff of Lincoln Financial Field and the Eagles/NFL for refusing to remove a 3′ x5′ American and Israeli flag I’d hung off the box I was sitting in. As a longtime passionate fan and season ticket holder, I have watched the Eagles/NFL make clear and strong statements on numerous important civil justice issues and ethnic and world conflicts, including supporting the people of Ukraine, so as a strong supporter of Israel — a country which was viciously attacked by the terrorist group Hamas less than a month ago — I thought it was an important statement to make.
It remains unclear why the Eagles/NFL believe that the US-Israeli flag should be deemed “obscene or indecent” or otherwise inappropriate —
which is what I was cited for — and should therefore be ripped down despite both issuing public statements strongly supporting Israel following the October 7th attacks. But as I consider whether to file suit against the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL and the security company which yanked me out of the box and paraded me in front of thousands of fans, I urge other supporters of Israel to make their feelings known to the team and the NFL just as they have to universities like Penn and Harvard.There is no dispute: On October 7th, Hamas murdered innocent Israeli civilians, raped woman and butchered children, and continues to hold
hostages. I believe Israel has the right to defend itself, just as the United States did following the September 11th attacks and I will remain a proud and vocal defender of its right to do so. Americans have the right to peacefully protest, but that does not include the right to threaten people with bodily harm or even death.”
Note: an earlier version of this story aggregated a shitty aggregation