Cleveland Browns Fan Kicked Out of Game for 'Excessive Standing

If you've ever been to a sporting event, you'll might sympathize with Rob Stipe, who was kicked out of last Sunday's Cleveland Browns game for "excessive standing." Then again, if you've ever been stuck behind a fan who stands for the whole game, maybe you'll cheer him getting the boot.

According to WEWS-TV, Stipe was warned several times that he was standing too much. In fact, excessive standing is even outlined as a punishable offense in the Browns fan code of conduct:

Excessive standing - please be aware that when you stand, you block the view of the fans behind you. We do not wish to diminish your ability to cheer and enjoy the game; however, your continued standing can interfere with others' ability to enjoy the game from their seats.

So even though Stipe is part of a family of season ticket holders and has been going to games for 25 years, he was still no match for the the excessive standing rule. He explained what happened to WEWS:

Stipe said that during the third quarter, a group of security officers and sheriff’s deputies approached him and said that he needed to leave the stadium because he had been standing too much throughout the game. Security officials warned him to sit down earlier in the game, Stipe said.

“They came up and said, ‘sir, you’re standing too much, you have to go,’” said Stipe, also known as “Big R.”

Stipe, 35, of South Amherst, said he has argued with security officers before about the rules regarding standing. During a game last season, Stipe said he was warned by a security guard and police officers that he was standing too much, so he asked about the policies about the appropriate times to stand.

The security guard, Stipe said, explained that standing is acceptable on third and fourth downs, at big moments of the game and during timeouts because there is no action on the field to block.

In Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, Sipe said that he was warned to sit down on a third down play in the first half and then kicked out during a commercial break in the third quarter.

“I’m not here to bash the Browns, and I’m not here to bash security,” Stipe added. “I just want a rule telling me when I can stand and when I can’t stand.”