Halifax Thunderbirds’ defenseman Tyson Bell was suspended by the National Lacrosse League on Jan. 8 for seven games after punching a fan in the head and hitting another with his stick.
The St. Catherines, Ont. native is due in Denver, Colo. court on Jan. 22 for assault with bodily force.
As Bell was about to leave the floor after a 19-14 road loss to the Colorado Mammoth on Dec. 21, two fans ran to the glass by the exit and began to taunt him. One aggressively and repeatedly pushed his middle finger at Bell and the other beckoned Bell over with his hand. Bell stepped off the floor, but instead of walking straight to the tunnel he veered to the barrier separating players from fans.
The one who called Bell over received a punch to the side of the head. Bell attempted to push through the barrier, but two arena employees restrained him. When the fan “giving the middle finger” rushed the barrier back at Bell he swung his lacrosse stick and hit the fan in the neck.
It isn’t clear what the fans were saying to Bell; the NLL and the Thunderbirds both investigated the incident, but haven’t revealed the details they uncovered.
Forster’s point of view
Videos of the incident have swept the internet with criticism coming Bell’s way. Former National Lacrosse League player Aaron Forster has come forward to urge fans not to be quick to make assumptions about Bell’s character. He knows what Bell did was unacceptable but doesn’t think anyone should be judged based on their “worst ten seconds.”
Forster played with Bell in 2012 at Everest Academy, a prep school in Vaughn, Ont. Their field lacrosse program was new at the time and had to fill its roster in tournaments with players who didn’t attend the school. Forster says he was part of the “outsider” families, and Bell would be the first to shake everyone’s hands and make them welcome.
“I’m a little biased because I know Tyson is a really, really good guy who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it,” Forster said.
For those that don’t know Bell, he asks them to consider his history in the NLL and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Bell had seven seasons in the league with a clean record. He’s had a few plays looked at by the NLL which Forster says are bound to happen as a defender.
“For years he’s been a solid guy on and off the floor, you never hear anything negative about him because that’s just the type of player and teammate he is.”
Still, some are upset by Bell’s lack of professionalism. @laxcow on X says it is “very sad for him, Halifax, and the league.” 50% of respondents on NLL insider Adam Levi’s X poll found the seven-game punishment “too short.”
Forster thinks the incident could have been prevented by security.
“What Tyson did was wrong,” Forster said, “But the fans could’ve been removed well before — I don’t want to shift the blame to security, but let’s put ourselves in an athlete’s shoes.”
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