Warner University Baseball Player Arrested On Mischief Charges After Doing Donuts on Rival's Field
By Jerry Trotta
Bare with us, folks, because this story is as bizarre and petulant as they come.
Nathan Smothers, a 19-year-old baseball player at Warner University was arrested on felony criminal mischief charges (as well as trespassing) after allegedly damaging the damp soccer field of rival Webber International University.
How did he manage to vandalize the pitch? By doing repeated donuts behind the wheel of his vehicle.
Rivalry stunt results in arrest: Warner student & baseball player Nathan Smothers faces felony criminal mischief charges after doing donuts with his Jeep on Webber Int’l’s soggy soccer field ahead of the weekend’s football game: https://t.co/yO1XbYNrXh #NAIAFootball
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 15, 2019
No, none of that was a misprint.
According to reports, it is football rivalry week between the two NAIA schools, and Warner was preparing to visit Webber for a matchup on Saturday.
This Saturday at the Warrior Turf Field be sure to catch the last home football game of the season! The football team’s 2019 Senior Day starts at 12 p.m. against Warner! #GoWarriors pic.twitter.com/WKaQl3PWI9
— WebberAthletics (@WebberAthletics) November 15, 2019
For those wondering how it was so easy for Smothers to gain access to the field, Warner and Webber are only five miles apart from one another.
Neil Cockburn, the head soccer coach at Webber, told authorities that Smothers' escapade resulted in roughly $60,000 of damages. In fact, the tire marks seeped so deep into the field that Cockburn believes the sod will need to be replaced.
It has yet to be reported, but we can almost guarantee that a lengthy suspension looms in Smothers' future. We love a rivalry as much as the next guy but vandalism is an indefensible act.