This past weekend was full of diehard rivalries for football fans across the nation.
My Baltimore Ravens trumped the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Thanksgiving matchup (despite Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin’s MAJOR misstep!) and my fiancé was happy to see the Ohio State University best Michigan on Saturday. There’s nothing wrong with some friendly competition–the operative word here being “friendly.”
It appears as though one woman may have missed that memo.
During an Iron Bowl party in Hoover, Alabama, two women got into an argument following the game between Auburn University and University of Alabama, which lost at the last minute. According to a local news station, the argument began inside the apartment complex where the two were watching the game and spilled over into the parking lot where Adrian Laroze Briskey allegedly shot Michelle Lacette Shepherd.
Shepherd’s sister, Neketa Shepherd, said her sister was an Alabama fan, but she wasn’t that upset about the loss. The sisters were joking after the game and Briskey apparently took it the wrong way.
In the parking lot, Briskey allegedly opened fire on Shepherd, who died as a result of her injuries.
Over what? Because of this, three young children no longer have a mother this holiday season and the rest of their lives. All because of a rivalry and a misunderstanding. Was it worth it? Of course not. Because at the end of the day, football is just a game. I know it can get heated at times, believe me, but it’s never worth anyone losing his or her life.
There are bigger, more important things to worry about, people. Football simply isn’t one of them.
