George Norcross, the Democratic Party organizer who was ejected from Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles game for hanging an Israeli flag from his suite, is now threatening to sue the NFL, the team and a security company over the incident.
Spokespeople for the NFL and the Eagles did not immediately respond to Mail Sport’s request for comment.
In a statement released Monday after the Eagles’ victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys, Norcross questioned the team and the league while urging “supporters of Israel to make their feelings known” to both.
“Yesterday I was forcibly removed and assaulted by non-police security personnel from Lincoln Financial Field and the Eagles/NFL because I refused to remove a 3′ x 5′ American and Israeli flag that I had hung from the box in which I fed up. the influential 67-year-old wrote.
Norcross, a staunch defender of Israel who paraded an American-Israeli flag during the game before hanging it from his suite, accused the NFL of promoting social justice for other groups while highlighting the plight of Israelis amid the armed forces of that country. conflict with Palestine.
Norcross, 67, wasn’t called New Jersey’s “most powerful unelected person” until 2023.
Norcross was seen in a video of X being escorted out for flying the American-Israeli flag on Sunday
“As a long-time passionate fan and season ticket holder, I have witnessed the Eagles/NFL make clear and strong statements on many important civil law, ethnic and global conflict issues, including supporting the people of Ukraine, so as strong supporter of Israel – – a country that was brutally attacked less than a month ago by the terrorist group Hamas – I thought it was an important statement to make,” Norcross continued.
“It remains unclear why the Eagles/NFL believe that the American-Israeli flag should be deemed ‘obscene or indecent’ or otherwise inappropriate – as I was quoted as saying – and therefore should be taken down, despite both making strong public statements. support for Israel after the October 7 attacks.
“But as I ponder whether to file charges against the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL and the security company that ripped 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 like they do to universities like Penn and Harvard.’
Norcross concluded his statement by defending Israel’s military response in Gaza, where more than 10,000 people have reportedly been killed in the four weeks since Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack. “There is no dispute: on October 7, Hamas murdered innocent Israeli civilians, raped women and slaughtered children, and continues to hold hostages,” Norcross said. “I believe that Israel has the right to defend itself, just as the United States did after the September 11 attacks, and I will continue to be a proud and outspoken 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.”
Norcross has ties to many in politics, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Norcross has been labeled New Jersey’s “most powerful unelected person” and is often sought for endorsements and fundraising by New Jersey Democrats.
On Sunday, he was seen in a video posted to social media being escorted from his luxury suite. Guards were also seen breaking his display as they led him out of the coffin.
Earlier in the day, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stood for an interview with a reporter during a televised pre-game show, with the same flag prominently displayed in the background.
According to New Jersey Globe reporter David Wildstein, it could have come from Norcross himself, as he regularly hosts a tailgate before Philadelphia Eagles games.
Norcross’s power lies in southern New Jersey and especially in Camden, which is just five miles from Philadelphia.
Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play, does not have a specific policy against the flag, but does have rules regarding signs and banners.
An American-Israeli flag was unfurled behind Christie – possibly by Norcross himself
“Signs, banners or similar items that are obscene or indecent, unrelated to the event, potentially offensive to other patrons, that may block the views of other fans or that are otherwise considered dangerous or inappropriate by the Eagles are prohibited,” according to their 2014 guidelines.
“Lincoln Financial Field reserves the right to confiscate signs that violate stadium policy.”
Only America’s top soccer league, Major League Soccer, has responded to the shock Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis on October 7 with a policy specifically targeting Israeli and Palestinian flags.
The league changed its fan code of conduct to temporarily ban “flags representing a country or nationality at MLS matches.”
Abroad, the English Premier League has also banned Israeli and Palestinian flags for the time being.