https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/seahawks-will-have-undercover-cops-dress-up-as-opposing-fans-to-curb-unruly-disruptive-behavior-at-home-games-190414528.html
The Seattle Seahawks are taking a bold step toward trying to prevent supporters from breaking the team’s code of conduct at home games. Undercover police officers will dress up as opposing fans in an attempt to stop unruly and disruptive behavior at Lumen Field, the team announced Thursday.
The Seahawks said the move was made to more quickly detect instances that could get out of hand. Officers and Lumen event staff will intervene if they observe certain behaviors, which range from not following instructions from stadium personnel to using offensive language and gestures.
The Seahawks are known for having one of the loudest and most passionate fanbases — known as The 12s — in the NFL. But as the team rose to prominence during the 2010s, reports of fan-on-fan violence at games grew more frequent.
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In fact, this isn’t the first time the strategy of dressing up undercover cops as opposing fans has been mentioned in Seattle. That exact idea was thrown around in 2013, when a Seattle police spokesman warned fans that police could dress up as opposing fans to stop unwanted behavior.
The Seahawks will open the 2025 NFL season with a home game against one of their biggest rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. That could explain why the team announced the policy today. It could be trying to warn fans off any confrontations with their NFC West division foes well ahead of time.
The Seahawks have been in a rut against the 49ers in recent seasons. After Seattle swept the series in 2021, the team has gone 1-5 against the 49ers in the past six meetings.
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While both teams failed to make the playoffs last season, the Seahawks had a much better year, posting a 10-6 record. The 49ers dealt with numerous injuries and saw their record drop to 6-11 last season.
Both teams will look to put those woes behind them in Week 1.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/seahawks-will-have-undercover-cops-dress-up-as-opposing-fans-to-curb-unruly-disruptive-behavior-at-home-games-190414528.html
