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Jacksonville lawmakers are under scrutiny after videos of violent altercations with fans at the Florida-Georgia football game went viral

Jacksonville lawmakers are under scrutiny after videos of violent altercations with fans at the Florida-Georgia football game went viral

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has launched an administrative review after videos circulating online appear to show violent interactions between deputies and fans at this weekend’s University of Florida and University of Georgia rivalry football game.

Both schools were playing at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville on Saturday; At least two altercations with fans and law enforcement there led deputies to use stun guns.

A video went viral after being published By Tate MooreA Barstool Sports employee was seen punching two game spectators multiple times by deputies.

In Moore’s video, one of the fans, a man with gray hair and a Florida Gators shirt, is held bent over as a deputy repeatedly lowers his arm toward his upper back. In another angle of the same incident, a man is seen being punched in the neck.

The second video published by A man named John Phillips in XIt also shows a sheriff’s deputy using a stun gun on the man wearing a Gators shirt.

The same incident also involved a man lying on the ground in the stadium’s corridor being shot multiple times by a deputy, while a woman in a blue dress repeatedly shouted “no”.

Moore’s video shows someone asking, “Why are you punching him?” He can be heard shouting. However, it is not clear who is meant.

It was a completely separate event Also posted by Phillips From the game where a man sitting next to a woman wearing a Georgia Bulldogs jersey talks to a deputy. As they talk, the camera pans to a deputy holding a stun gun a few feet away.

The police officer, who appears to have pulled out his stun gun, approaches and puts his hand on the man’s arm, and the man swings the arm away without making another move. Then a sound is heard as if a stun gun has been fired, and the man pulls the gun’s cords and screams.

This quickly escalates when the man begins yelling at both deputies and appears to have been shot with two different stun guns, pulling on the cables until he collapses onto the seats below him.

One of the deputies then grabs him and a physical altercation ensues, with the deputy punching the man and the man pushing him. It appears that the man’s shirt was torn in the incident.

It’s unclear what led to the violent arguments in the videos. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sent a statement to NBC News in response to a request for comment stating that its Professional Standards Division was aware of the videos.

The statement said, “An administrative investigation is being initiated regarding the events.” “Therefore, the agency will not comment until all the facts are known and investigations are completed.”

The same statement was posted on the sheriff’s social media accounts Saturday night.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan wrote in a post on X that the city is awaiting the results of the investigation.

“I am aware of many disturbing videos circulating from yesterday’s game,” Deegan said. “I spoke with Sheriff Waters and the incidents are being investigated.”

The city announced Friday that it has agreed to a deal to continue hosting the Florida-Georgia rivalry game from 2028 to 2031 after Everbank undergoes renovations.

According to the press release, games will be played in Atlanta and Tampa in 2026 and 2027 while construction of the stadium continues. Deegan described the agreement as the result of “months of close collaboration” with the schools.

“We are grateful that this matchup will continue to bring our communities together to celebrate college football and increase economic impact,” Deegan said in a statement Friday. he said.

NBC News has reached out to the athletic directors of both the University of Florida and the University of Georgia for comment on the discussions. Neither school immediately responded Sunday.