Stanley Cup Catfish-Tosser Had a Very Elaborate Plan

Jacob Waddell won't face charges, says he's just 'a dumb redneck with a bad idea'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 31, 2017 12:15 PM CDT
Guy Won't Be Charged for Catfish Toss at Stanley Cup
A worker removes a fish during Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.   (Gene J. Puskar)

Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final, reports the AP. Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime, and disrupting meetings or processions after tossing the dead fish over the glass surrounding the rink Monday night during the Nashville Predators-Pittsburgh Penguins game. District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in a Facebook post Wednesday that Waddell's actions "do not rise to the level of criminal charges," so the charges "will be withdrawn in a timely manner."

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry had called for the charges to be "quickly dismissed." Waddell called himself "a dumb redneck with a bad idea" in a conversation with Nashville radio station WGFX-FM. Sports Illustrated has the whole convoluted story of how Waddell got the fish into the arena, which included driving it 600 miles with the rotting critter in a cooler doused in cologne. His initial plan hit a snag: "I tried putting it in my boot but the head was too damn big," Waddell said. "No matter how much I ran it over with the truck, the head was too damn big." Hence, the fish's mangled appearance. He eventually hid it between layers of underwear. (More Stanley Cup stories.)

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