Arrest report shows man on field during Jags game was working but left his post

Jacksonville — You might have noticed a man run onto the field during a touchdown play in the Jaguars game on Sunday before he was escorted out of view. It turns out he was working at the game, according to his arrest report, but now he’s been fired.

An arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shows 53-year-old Michael Stephenson is now facing a trespassing charge. He was employed by S.A.F.E., which is company contracted to perform guest services.

The report says he removed his work uniform and was wearing a Jaguars jersey when the incident happened. He made his way into an area that’s restricted by the NFL due to COVID protocols, and the report says he was then taken into custody without incident.

According to the arrest report, authorities reached out to the suspect’s boss at ASM Global, which is an event management company, and the boss explained Stephenson was “effectively fired the moment he abandoned his post and was therefore no longer an active employee of S.A.F.E. at the time of the incident.”

Jail records show Stephenson has now been released.

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