The San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders faced off on Nov. 1, in what was likely their last game together as local rivals. The Raiders will be playing for Las Vegas starting in 2020.
The so-called “Battle of the Bay” rivalry has sparked violence in the past, and Thursday’s game was no exception as fans were caught on camera throwing punches in the stands.
The game was held in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the home of the 49ers. The stadium was opened in 2014, and this was the Raiders’ first time playing there.
Both teams came to the game on Thursday night with a rough losing streak. The 49ers record stood at 1-7, and the Raiders were at 1-6, according to ESPN, making it one of the worst lineups on prime-time television in the history of the NFL.
The stadium had extra security on hand in anticipation of any scuffles, including plainclothes police dressed in team jerseys. Fans said ahead of time that they were hoping for a peaceful game.
“This is the last time it’s going to be the Battle of the Bay. So it should be a really good game, a friendly game. Hopefully there’s no violence,” Raiders fan Fernando Carrillo told CBS San Francisco.
In the end, the 49ers slammed the Raiders in a surprising 34-3 win. And sure enough, a number of fights broke out.
A man with a bloodied face could be seen on one of several cell phone videos that captured the brawls. At least one other man was arrested for starting a fight.
Several other people were also arrested for intoxication.
In another controversial move, a San Francisco 49ers cheerleader became the first in the NFL to become involved in the national anthem protests, taking a knee during the anthem before the Thursday game.
The last regular season matchup between the 49ers and the Raiders was back in 2014, with the Raiders winning the game.
At that game, 31 fans were arrested, and 93 fans were kicked out of the stadium, according to CBS Sports.
Before that, the 49ers and Raiders played in a 2011 pre-season game, where two fans were shot in the parking lot and one was beaten unconscious in a restroom. All three were sent to the hospital.
The annual pre-season game between the two teams was canceled indefinitely after the 2011 incident.
