Lions fan says heated exchange with Packers coach Matt LaFleur wasn't personal: "I don't hate the guy"
(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Lions' thrilling win against the Green Bay Packers last Thursday was intense before it even started, and one Lions fan knows that all too well after his back-and-forth with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
People across the country have seen the interaction between Fahad Yousif and LaFleur.
Yousif is a season ticket holder, which comes with some perks, like holding the American flag before the game for the national anthem. He says he didn't expect a nationally televised argument with LaFleur to be included.
"We were just walking down, and all the players were right there. We were booing them, telling them 'You're done. You're toast. We're winning two, we're sweeping you guys.' Hit him with a throat slash, and he lost it," Yousif said. "He just sprinted at me, and all of a sudden, players are coming by and stuff. Josh Jacobs was right there. I thought he was going to punch me. I was not expecting that."
LaFleur says he was also shocked.
"I thought it was pretty unsportsmanlike, like, I've never seen that. I've been on many fields, and, usually, they police that much better," LaFleur told reporters in a post-game press conference.
Yousif says it all happened fast. He agrees that he played a part, but he says his excitement got the best of him.
"I didn't know what to think when it was going down. I've never seen anything like this, I've never experienced anything like this. I didn't think a coach would do something like that," he said. "But hey, it's not all on him. I crossed the line. I got into the heat of the moment, all the fans and the rivalry. I went a little bit overboard."
Yousiff was told to leave and had to watch the Lions win from home. Now that he has cooled down, he says it's nothing personal, and he would even be open to a future conversation with LaFleur.
"I mean, of course, it's 'Go Lions,' but at the same time, it's like this is on the field. These are our two teams going at it. Off the field, we are all good. I don't hate the guy. I hate the Packers, but off the field, if he wanted to talk I'd love to talk to him. I had no ill intentions in any of this blowing up to this magnitude," Yousif said.
