The NFL – or ”No Fun League,” as some people refer to it as – has had its fair share of controversies over the years. Roger Goodell’s handling of player concussions, players kneeling during the U.S. national anthem against police brutality and racism and perhaps my favorite “Deflategate” when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was accused of purposely deflating footballs used in an AFC Championship Game.
Security and fraud prevention expert Fred Weaver delves in the latest NFL controversy in his new investigative book, Levi’s Stadium – Unsafe In Any Seat.
When you attend an NFL game, you go to have a good time. Probably the last thing on your mind is your own personal safety. Afterall, why would you worry about your own wellbeing? You’re in the stands surrounded by fans and security personnel alike. While you might feel safe, that could be a false sense of security, especially if you’re attending a game at Levi’s Stadium.
That’s probably how fans felt on November 1, 2018 at Levi’s Stadium, when the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Oakland Raiders. Despite there being 400 Law Enforcement Offers in attendance, not one of them was even aware of a brutal beating incident. That is until a Raiders fan took it upon himself to restrain and bring the assailant to arrest and custody.
The so-called Good Samaritan did everything he could to bring attention to the incident and prevent another one from happening again. He contacted the local police, management of Levi’s Stadium and even the higher ups at the NFL before everyone went silent because of who this Good Samaritan was.
But that’s not the end of the controversy at Levi’s Stadium – far from it. This is only the latest in a series of disturbing events that has taken place at Levi’s Stadium – everything from near fatal attacks to personal injury lawsuits and in between.
Although the Santa Clara police may allegedly be trying to sweep this story under the rug, author Fred Weaver shines the light on one of the major problems leading to a lack of security at Levi’s Stadium: potential corruption at the Santa Clara Police Department. Weaver makes the convincing argument that this coupled with the dirty laundry of the City of Santa Clara and the City of Santa Clara Council Members’ toxic relationship with the 49ers makes Levi’s Stadium the most dangerous public venue in North American (no small feat).
The book is well-researched and broken down into chapters in chronological order. Weaver starts off the book with a retelling of what happened on 9/11 to illustrate how we have a false sense of security about how safe we actually are. Weaver dedicates two whole chapters to what he dubs the “Levi’s Stadium Incident” (the incident mentioned above). While reading the book I was fascinated with these revelations and found it tough to put the book down. Weaver’s book goes where the mainstream media doesn’t want to go. He’s really doing a public service by the telling of this and other stories.
The book is a must-read for anyone who cares about their personal safety at a stadium sporting event or even a music concert (ahem, everybody). It will no doubt change your perspective on personal safety guaranteed. If you’re pursuing a career in law or criminal justice, you’ll want to read this book cover to cover it’s that good.