25°Sandusky man's Heat jersey not cool with Cleveland fans
Jul 31
2010
SANDUSKY
Sandusky resident Matt Bellamy believes he made The Decision -- the right one.
Bellamy, 29, proudly displayed his white LeBron James Miami Heat jersey -- No. 6 -- on Wednesday night at a game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees.
He was at Progressive Field in Cleveland -- perhaps one of the worst places, apart from Quicken Loans Arena, to wear such a garment.
When Bellamy and his girlfriend first arrived to his bleacher seats in left field, he experienced some good-natured ribbing.
Click HERE for more video.
But Bellamy's bleacher-mates, clearly upset at his choice of attire, turned on a dime and soon became vicious.
The fans quickly adopted an attitude toward Bellamy like the one they'd taken with James himself, after the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player made "The Decision" on national television recently.
The Decision, as a painful review: James left Cleveland for South Beach, to play for the Miami Heat.
Cameramen at Progressive Field placed Bellamy in their crosshairs and broadcasted the footage on the stadium's JumboTron, where 22,000-plus fans booed him.
And then it got really ugly.
People nearby threw alcohol and food at Bellamy, along with cursing him and making obscene gestures as he and his girlfriend watched in awe.
"It was actually pretty pathetic," Bellamy told the Register on Friday.
Cleveland police then asked Bellamy and his girlfriend to leave the game, offering to escort them from their seats for their own safety.
Bellamy said one officer even swore at him, asking why he would choose to wear such a jersey in Cleveland.
"It's America," Bellamy said. "You can wear whatever you want.
"I have every right to be there," he said. "I'm a paying fan just like everybody else. We purchased the seats and all we wanted to do was cheer the Indians."
Bellamy is filing a lawsuit against the Indians for being wrongfully treated.
In the last 48 hours, meanwhile, he has become something of a national sensation.
CNN and ESPN have covered the story, while Miami radio shows have scheduled interviews with him in the coming days and weeks.
And in this era of instant news gratification, more than 225,000 people have viewed video clips of the incident on YouTube. The number of views is growing by the thousands each day.
The Miami Heat even invited Bellamy to visit them.
Bellamy plans to attend the Heat-Cavaliers game when James returns to Cleveland. He hasn't decided which James No. 6 Heat jersey he'll wear -- he has the both red and black jerseys to complete the set.
And while he's upset over James' choice to leave his hometown and team of seven years, Bellamy said he understands The Decision.
"If Cleveland would have made the right moves, he wouldn't have gone anywhere," Bellamy said.
So who will Bellamy root for if the Cavs are up one point and James shoots the ball for the Heat as the clock winds down?
"I'm rooting for the Cavs," he said, "because Cleveland needs a winner and deserves a winner."
He should buy a jersey that says that.
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Comments
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04:44 PM
starryeyes83 says
An ALL expense paid trip to Miami.
Well, I guess his BS trick worked. Which is WHY he did it in the first place.
One overinflated overpaid ego gets to host yet, another overinflated ego. Perfect fit .
P.S. I'm not a sports fan so I could care less about ball players. They are ALL overpaid idiots anyway.
03:32 PM
44846GWP says
THE GUY NEEDS TO STOP DRESSING LIKE A TEENAGER, AND GROW UP.
02:02 PM
duh goat says
I b done with the N.B.A.,wear what want.PRO players aren't worth my time and wallet!!!!!
02:02 PM
duh goat says
I b done with the N.B.A.,wear what want.PRO players aren't worth my time and wallet!!!!!
05:46 PM
The King says
I think he can wear what he wants to wear lebron left cause clevland suck and doesn't care about anything but themselves, now look at them might win only 12 games this year, who would want to come here after lebron? I can't believe Indian fans were even mad The Tribe have SUCKED for the last 15 yrs you stupid for going to the game when you know what the outcome is, a LOSS cleveland always suck. I would wear a Dwayne Wade jersey to the game and cheer for THE BIG THREE.... Why not!!! I would sue the tribe cause they getting mad cause thats the best action that has ever seen on Jacob's Field in years... Thanks for giving the tribe some kind of atention cause nobody watches the game anymore, but let me know next time you go.. I will wear my jersey and dance all over cleveland in Joy!!! Lebron fan not cleveland, Its never been about cleveland, ITS WAS ALWAYS ABOUT LEBRON JAMES!!! Remember that Ohio native.01:29 PM
NOmoreFREErides says
Nicole-speaking of getting out did you get out of middle school? I'm saying he acts/dresses/and talks like the 14 year olds that hang out at the mall and he is 29. Your right his police record does not have anything to do with a jersey, but when "Bellamy is filing a lawsuit against the Indians for being wrongfully treated" you better believe it will matter. I guess he has a better lawyer than the Indians.12:51 PM
Allkindsofridiculous says
Google Sandusky Municipal Court Records, then use your imagination about what to do.
10:59 AM
Nicole says
To NOmoreFREErides: I can tell your an uptight person who doesn't get out much. Your saying he's like a 14 year old cause he likes Lebron James? And you shouldn't be judging anything by his police record because 1) the stuff on there isn't a big deal and 2) wearing a jersey has nothing to do with a police record.
07:40 AM
NOmoreFREErides says
Ragtop-agreed. It is just the 14 year old mentality that these two 29-30 year olds have along with their buddy Nicole. Come on this guy dresses/talks/acts like a 14 year old...but i guess I am jealous of that and his "all expenses paid trip" to Miami. Judging by his police record and I do not mean the speeding tickets i am sure he is an outstanding citizen.06:44 AM
ragtop66 says
Why would anyone be jealous of someone who has made such an embarrassing spectacle of themselves, and others, nationwide...for bragging rights of an all expense paid trip. That really is infantile thinking.
05:07 AM
MontegoBay1 says
Another proud moment for the City of Sandusky!! It is America and you should be able to wear anything you want, but when you do something like this, you better expect the worse. The people of Cleveland I am sure did not find this funny and this moron got what he deserved!! He is lucky the cops even escorted him out!11:02 PM
Nicole says
Haha sounds to be like your jealous. Btw, you don't make sense....you said if you want an all expense paid trip to Miami you would pay for it yourself...okay...then it's no an all expense paid trip....you would be paying for it. They didn't embarass anyone, and yes, he has a job.
02:36 PM
NOmoreFREErides says
First of all Nicole to make my self feel better all i have to do from now till I die is keep watching these idiots on you tube and to know at least I am not them. Second if i want an all expense paid trip to Miami I would do what every other hard working person does PAY FOR IT MYSELF...not go on tv and embarass myself/family/freinds/co-workers (assuming he has a job)/city. Maybe he should do Sandusky a favor and stay there when he goes on his all expenses paid trip...big f-in deal02:12 PM
Raoul Duke says
I wonder if he would walk around in downtown Baghdad wearing a "Jesus Saves" t-shirt?
01:31 PM
Nicole says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained profanity. Discussion Guidelines08:16 AM
NOmoreFREErides says
Straight Sandusky trash. I am emabarrassed that this "wanna be" is from Sandusky...Perkins whatever. The fans have every right to verbally harass him but never use or threaten physical violence especially over a jersey. If it was that bad then report it to stadium secuirty not instigate back that is just what the fans wanted. At 30 years old this guy needs to grow up a bit. First stop buying four sizes to big jerseys that hang to your knees and learn to speak correct English. Your relatives must be so proud. Way to step up for your girlfriend. Looks like she wears the pants in that relationship. I hope the fans sue her for swinging at them. I guess he and his "shorty" forgot that was on tape that was nationally televised. If I dressed, spoke, and acted like that at 30 i would kick my own A$$07:17 AM
ragtop66 says
He got what he so obviously was asking for by wearing the jersey...and then some...even 10 minutes of fame. Now that their faces have been plastered all over youtube and TV..................
12:50 AM
katelih says
Yes, I think this guy was a moron for wearing this jersey. However, I have to wonder which moron decided to put this moron on the Jumbo Tron ! At that point, this guy and his girlfriend , in my opinion, were in danger . I believe the authorities had no choice but to escort them out !!!!! It may or may not have been so dangerous UNTIL he was put on blast with the BIG SCREEN . Everyone in the stadium saw his image. The authorities may have saved his life. At least now,they wont be sued for not protecting him from a brutal beat down or even death ! I know I sound dramatic........but thankfully, we will never know !
11:13 PM
Subtle says
The fans and stadium staff were wrong and he should sue them and the stadium guards that allowed both of them to be touched by fans. The jumbotron folks were also at fault since both of them sat through SIX innings without incident until the jumbotron instigated the morons in the crowd.
Guess what happens if a grown adult walks into a sporting event wearing an opposing teams jersey, anywhere but in Cleveland...they watch the game comment free like everybody else.
Look at LeBron's numbers... every stat clearly indicates he 'did it all himself'. Cleveland never got him anything that could be considered in the realm of a 'supporting cast'. He carried the Cavs for years...take that generosity and consider it a gift.
Cleveland hasn't had a team worth 'being proud of' since the '95 Tribe. Since then, every Cleveland team has been comprised at most, one or two good players, meant to mask the rest of the bums.
One day maybe some Cleveland team will put together a "whole team" of decent athletes, till then, we still have '95.
10:26 PM
hancrack me up says
What a waste of good alcohol to have thrown it on them. That beer ain't cheap, either!
09:08 PM
The tt says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines09:08 PM
The tt says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines05:42 AM
MrsSmith86 says
Oh my gosh, really?
02:59 PM
dhazard says
Gotta love the Register, why don't you actually do some "reporting" and take the five seconds the rest of us did to watch youtube and find out that this moron and his idiot girlfriend were egging on the crowd, swearing at people etc. Yes, we have the first amendment - but you also can't yell fire in a theater. If a white man wears a tshirt in downtown harlem with the "N" word on it and gets his butt kicked, whose fault is it? This moron has proven he should NOT be allowed to procreate.
02:20 PM
hancrack me up says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines09:18 AM
Raoul Duke says
Cleveland is just Big Sandusky(our suburbs included).
02:50 AM
hancrack me up says
Not worth the effort discussing this.
01:31 AM
iamrevolutionary says
He did it intentionally for the $$$$$$...........JMHO (but positive I am correct)...........
11:03 PM
OICU81 says
Don't usually waste posts on these stories, but come on. Watch the videos, not just the ones linked here, but there are others on youtube as well. He clearly is giving it back at first as is his lady (if you call her that the way she acted). Seems she assaulted another fan..was she charged? He clearly wanted a reaction and likely didn't realize how far it would go, now is trying to make something from it.
Also watch the excellent interview on yahoo. One moment he says he was "nationally embarressed" and a few minutes later he says he thought it was all funny. Well, which is it? Were you embarressed or you thought it was funny. Oh wait, I get it...thinking its funny doesn't pay nearly as well.
10:41 PM
Tweety Sees Eve... says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines10:30 PM
jgz2 says
I'm sure he knew he would get the crowd excited by wearing this jersey, and he seemed to enjoy it. But that is what people do at games. How many Yankee fans were doing the same thing that night? There are always people acting like this at pro events. I'm not defending him, but it's no different than what you can find at every game. Someone had to be the first person to wear a Lebron Heat jersey in Cleveland. There obviously will be Heat fans wearing these jerseys in Cleveland in a few months. What are they going to do? Ban all Heat fans from the Cavs' games so they don't get beat up once inside the arena? Both sides acted dumb in this story. Yes, he was kind of egging the fans on, but it's pretty funny and sad that people couldn't handle a jersey and had to start getting out of hand.
09:37 PM
The New World Czar says
Amazing that CNN, ESPN, and the Miami media would waste airtime on him (and his female bodyguard who defended his "honor"). Better yet, not surprised a bit that the Register did.
Yeah....Sandusky Proud.
06:51 PM
Cross says
His 15 minutes are over. Hopefully this story and publicity hound will vanish now.
06:41 PM
T-B says
Two extremely intelligent people, especially the girlfriend for picking and defending this winner. They will go down in Darwin Awards hall of fame history.
05:26 PM
bobaluey says
Come on, free ride, he's so hurt he's crying lawsuit. Whine Whine Whine.....He did it on purpose. What about his criminal record?? Wouldn't believe anyhting he says.
04:34 PM
44846GWP says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines04:13 PM
Nicole says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines03:50 PM
Tweety Sees Eve... says
After the huge list of crimes that he has been charged with, it is funny to see him wanting the cops to defend him. He has spent years working hard against them and now wants them to help him. he should have been off the streets a long time ago, not on the front page.
03:48 PM
Tweety Sees Eve... says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines03:39 PM
Tweety Sees Eve... says
I agree Sam.
Stupidity is not a crime. He is free to go.
I would be willing to bet that this guy planned this out, I would imagine. Think about it...a free trip to see the Heat and meet the team. Free press and trip. He'll get free stuff from the team and LeBron, autographs and pictures with them. ESPN will be there and the local press will cover it. Why not?
I wear another Team's jersey to the Stadium and I get a ton of crap over it, but you know what...I have to right to show my colors.
I agree that the Cleveland Fans are some of the most druken, vulgar idiots that I have ever been in a crown with. Anywhere else I go with my team, people are cool and talk to me like I am visiting their town instead of screaming at me and tellins me to go back to where my team is from. The Indians fans are probably the worst of them all. I have been to see the Browns and rooted against them, but never got verbally beaten down like I do when the Indians are playing!
Cleveland has a bitter chip on its shoulder and maybe some day they will get rid of it! Maybe not. If they do, I would bet big money that they people of Cleveland will burn the city to the ground!
03:25 PM
Sam says
This guy proves, you have a right to be stupid.
03:17 PM
William Jeffers... says
You must have an act of "negligence" causing subsequent "damages" in order to win a lawsuit and he has neither! The only person with less class than this clown is the low life, scum sucking flea bag lawyer that would take his case. I can't wait to see which bottom feeder with a law degree from a cracker jack box is this desperate! I'm sure we'll know shortly!
03:07 PM
zwest says
Let me try again. Sanduskians can't claim him he lives in the suburb south of Sandusky.
03:00 PM
Bailey says
Lets be honest, I don't think there is one person here that beleives it was bad for him to wear that Jersey, what WAS bad was that some punks threw things at him and made threats, THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Wearing the opposite teams colors is all about the 'game'. Should we all run over to the vistors stands at Stroble field and beat the life out of those people for wearing other teams colors?
I actually have fun when Pittsburg Fans wear their stuff at Cleveland. We KID AROUND because its a GAME, and NOT LIFE.
Shame on those who threw things and made threats. That is NEVER a mature thing to do, Yes, you can boo them and have fun, but the fans were out of line.
03:00 PM
Try Again says
I think the real story here is, why is this guy wearing a long sleeve under armour during one of the hottest days of the hottest years on record? ESPN and CNN should be doing a story on that.
01:31 PM
Salvatore says
This country is in dire straits and those morons in that stadium get all upset about a jersey. Good example of how stupid people really are. Why all of the personal attacks against this man? I have a feeling that Lebron will personally give this man a very valuable Lebron memorabilia item. Lebron may even give this man a personal visit. Lawsuit or not, this man had every right to wear what he wanted to. He didn't deserve the public humiliation. The stupid morons went berserk over such a trivial matter. Soldiers are dying overseas and these stadium morons get all upset about a piece of clothing.
01:14 PM
bored reader says
Sue 'em AND press charges of assault on the morons. Yes it just a game played by overpaid "athletes". The fans take it way too seriously. Get what you can and fly to a couple Heat games. This is coming from a Cavs fan.
12:26 PM
Phoenix says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained obscenity and personal attacks. Discussion Guidelines12:15 PM
zwest says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained personal information. Discussion Guidelines12:07 PM
sweetcheeks says
WTG Bellamy!!! Get some of that money that the Indians are wasting on getting so-called players!!!! Make some solid use of the money though....Perhaps buy season passes to the Miami Heat games!!!!...TOOOO FUNNYYYYYY... Sorry again Cleveland fans...but this is what your city is asking for....