In response to Justin Antweil’s “Let’s rush the field,” let me first congratulate your spirit and the show of support that can be gleaned between the lines of your opinion piece; our football team needs it. However, [although] rushing the field may be tradition at other football stadiums, it has never been a tradition at the Orange Bowl. I spent many years with the Miami Police Department and was the event commander for many UM games and Dolphin games at the OB, including the wide-right and wide-left versus FSU. I was there, were you?
I was very proud to look into the stands at those great games as the final gun sounded and see fanaticism at the highest possible level. You couldn’t hear yourself think, yet not one student or fan rushed the field. I guess our fans “get it” when it comes to this; they get the fact that rushing the field gets people hurt and gets people arrested. I would hate to see your career and the wellness of your future family be destroyed because you were one of those arrested for rushing the field and now you can no longer become a lawyer, firefighter, police officer or teacher because you made a dumb mistake. Don’t risk it. Celebrate in the footsteps and [on the] shoulders of all those previous UM fans that comported themselves with the decorum and fanaticism of a true Cane.
David A. Rivero
Chief, UMPD
chief@miami.edu