CLEVELAND — The search continues for the Cleveland Browns fan seen throwing beer on Tennessee Titans corner Logan Ryan at FirstEnergy Stadium last Sunday.
The Browns identified the culprit as Eric Smith. He has red hair and a matching beard, and was seen wearing a Baker Mayfield jersey in the Dawg Pound during the incident.
The problem is that there are a lot of Eric Smiths in Northeast Ohio.
Search the name on Facebook under the Cleveland geotag, and dozens of results show up. No, they don't all look like the fan in the video, but it's evident that the Cleveland area is abundant in guys who share that name.
Eric Smith No. 1 spoke to Channel 3 Wednesday. He said he received a notice from the Browns that he had been banned indefinitely from FirstEnergy Stadium. But Smith said he wasn't even at the game, nor has he attended one in a decade. He was DJing at a wedding at the time of the game, and he said his company, Cleveland Music Group, can prove it.
Eric Smith No. 2 spoke out Thursday to clear his name. He says he is the Eric Smith who purchased the tickets for Sunday's game, but he isn't the culprit.
This Eric Smith says he bought the tickets for seats 10 and 11 through Ticketmaster, and attended the game with his girlfriend. He says they sat next to the beer thrower, who sat in seat nine. He even shared a photo from the game, a screengrab that shows him wearing facepaint next to his girlfriend and the culprit fan.
It should also be noted that Dawg Pound seats are benches, meaning it's easy for fans to shift from their assigned number.
Eric Smith No. 2 also said the Browns never contacted him about the incident. Instead, he reached out to the team when he saw reports about the first Eric Smith. He wants to clear his name, for himself and the other Eric Smiths out there.
For the record, this Eric Smith said he thinks the culprit fan attended the game alone. He said the guy didn't appear to drink heavily, nor did he have any tattoos that could have made him distinguishable. Smith says the fan did, however, have what sounded like an Australian accent.
The Browns issued a statement Wednesday following the first Eric Smith's story:
“Our investigation of the fan incident on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium remains ongoing. While we are continuing to gather information and have been in contact with multiple people as part of that process, we have not explicitly identified the individual involved or taken any formal action of punishment at this time. We will have no further comment until the investigation is complete.”