Is there a conspiracy to silence notorious New York Jets fan and unofficial team mascot Fireman Ed?
Ed Anzalone, the 65-year-old former New York City firefighter who leads cheers at MetLife Stadium, has no real evidence to support this theory. Still, he’s hoping someone else does because he’s seeing less of himself on the stadium’s giant scoreboard.
‘I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but they’re phasing us out,’ he said in a self-shot Instagram video. ‘I’d like to know if somebody knows anything, please let me know, because it’s evident that it’s happening.’
And although Anzalone stopped short of blaming the situation for the team’s disappointing 2-4 start, he did suggest his chant (‘J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!’) is integral to any potential turnaround.
‘It needs to stop because we need home-field advantage,’ Anzalone said. ‘That’s what we have and we need to keep it going. Something is going on, so please let me know if you know something.’
Fireman Ed has seen less of himself on the MetLife Stadium scoreboard and he wants answers
Fireman Ed leads the crowd in a cheer during the first half a Jets game on October 13, 2019
The team has not responded to the controversy, if it can even be described that way. Anzalone has been seen in his usual seat, where he’s continued to spell ‘Jets’ at the top of his lungs.
He was even seen on a recent Thursday Night Football broadcast leading cheers against the hated New England Patriots.
But to Anzalone, a lifelong Jets fan outside of his 2012-2015 sabbatical in protest of the infamous ‘Butt Fumble,’ that’s not good enough.
‘I’ve been getting a lot of emails and texts from fans about the Jet experience in the stadium with the big screens,’ Anzalone said after the Jets’ Monday Night Football loss to the visiting Buffalo Bills. ‘Last night in particular — although on the Denver game also — last night in particular [the Jets] scored a touchdown and normally as a tradition we’re always put on the screen.’
Only this time, MetLife Stadium officials neglected to accommodate Fireman Ed – one of 81,118 fans in attendance on Monday night.
Anzalone’s reign as one of the most recognizable fans in sports dates back decades. The retired firefighter, who was injured on the job in 2007, has been honored by the team and remains a regular topic of conversation on local sports radio channels.
He’s also faced some controversy.
After then-Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into offensive lineman Brandon Moore’s backside in 2012, resulting in a costly fumble in a loss to the Patriots, Anzalone left MetLife Stadium in disgust. He even deleted his popular Twitter account and officially ‘retired’ as the team’s self-appointed mascot.
However, by 2015, Anzalone was back in his Fireman Ed persona.
He was also accused of assaulting a Giants fan at a preseason game in August of 2010, but charges were later dropped.
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