Is there a conspiracy to silence infamous New York Jets fan and unofficial team mascot Fireman Ed?
Ed Anzalone, the 65-year-old former New York City firefighter leading the cheers at MetLife Stadium, has no real evidence to support this theory. Still, he hopes someone else does, because he sees himself less often on the stadium’s gigantic scoreboard.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but they’re phasing us out,” he said in a self-shot Instagram video. “I’d like to know if anyone knows anything, please let me know because it’s obvious it’s happening.”
And while Anzalone stopped short of blaming the situation for the team’s disappointing 2-4 start, he did suggest that his chant (“JETS! Jets! Jets! Jets!”) is an integral part of any potential turnaround.
“It has to stop because we need home field advantage,” Anzalone said. ‘That’s what we have and we have to keep it going. Something is going on, so if you know anything, let me know.”
Firefighter Ed has seen less of himself on the MetLife Stadium scoreboard and he wants answers
Firefighter Ed leads the crowd in cheering during the first half of a Jets game on October 13, 2019
The team has not commented on the controversy, if it can even be described that way. Anzalone was seen in his usual seat, where he continued to spell “Jets” at the top of his lungs.
He was even seen on a recent broadcast of Thursday Night Football leading cheers against the hated New England Patriots.
But for Anzalone, a lifelong Jets fan outside of his 2012-2015 sabbatical in protest of the infamous “Butt Fumble,” that’s not good enough.
“I’m getting a lot of emails and texts from fans about the Jet experience in the stadium with the big screens,” Anzalone said after the Jets’ Monday Night Football loss to the visiting Buffalo Bills. “Especially last night – although also at the Denver game – especially last night [the Jets] scored a touchdown and normally we are always shown in the picture.’
Only this time, MetLife Stadium officials failed to accommodate Firefighter Ed, one of the 81,118 fans in attendance Monday night.
Anzalone’s reign as one of the most recognizable fans in sports dates back decades. The retired firefighter, who was injured on the job in 2007, is honored by the team and remains a regular topic of conversation on local sports radio stations.
He has also faced some controversy.
After then-Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the back of offensive lineman Brandon Moore in 2012, resulting in a costly fumble in a loss to the Patriots, Anzalone left MetLife Stadium in disgust. He even deleted his popular Twitter account and officially retired as the team’s self-proclaimed mascot.
However, by 2015, Anzalone was back in his Fireman Ed persona.
He was also accused of assaulting a Giants fan during a preseason game in August 2010, but the charges were later dropped.