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I am in agreement with those that say NO to going into the stands. That is the game admin/site admin/security responsibility. As officials we are asking for a whole lot of potential trouble if we go into the stands.
Smart has to be better than that no matter what the guy said but, being that none of us know Smart personally, we have no idea what type of things set him off and what don't. We all have out hot buttons. That in NO WAY excuses his actions.
The fan's actions/words are not excusable either. However, he paid his money and that is his seat. A very good friend of mine and large donor to Texas Tech knows the guy. I called him over the weekend when I saw this and he told me that guy is a huge donor as well. We both agreed that in NO WAY gives him the right to spew hatred or slurs or whatever. However, we have all heard some pretty nasty things from the fans at one time or other. I know I have had a fan or two removed over my 22 years or so of doing this. I even remember Jimmy Buffet getting booted from his seat at Miami Heat game. Just because you paid a lot of money for the right to sit someplace, and are a huge donor to a school, you still have a responsibility to behave.
Not sure if anything would have happened to the fan if Smart had reported what he said rather than going into the stands, but again, he needs to be better than that on the court. We also have to remember he is still a 20 year old kid.
Just my two cents.
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