When you put on the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party, there are bound to be a few “bar fights.” But what transpired outside Jacksonville’s EverBank Field on Saturday was no mere tussle.
21-year-old Florida fan William Ross Cesery was sent to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center after being knocked unconscious by James Colby in a retention pond outside the stadium. Cesery’s injuries were initially described by police as “life-threatening” but he has since been treated and released from the hospital.
Colby has been jailed on aggravated battery charges and $250,000 bail. A video taken of the fight and posted to YouTube shows why.
After arriving on the scene to break up what he thought was a fight between Cesery and another man, Colby punched Cesery several times in the face and pushed him to the ground. When Cesery grabbed him by the ankles, Colby punched him three more times and knocked him out.
Upon seeing blood in the retention pond, he yanked an unconscious Cesery out of the water by his arm.
It was all a further reminder to college football fans that the festive atmosphere of the sport often has a dark side to it.
[Warning: Video contains NSFW language and graphic violence.]
