Since 1975, Ed Anzalone has attended New York Jets games at the Meadowlands, leading chants and making countless appearances on the Jumbotron and television screens around the nation.
But now it looks like the world has seen the last of Fireman Ed. Anzalone announced in a guest column for Metro New York that he will continue to attend Jets games, but not in his famous getup.
Anzalone was noticeably absent from the second half of the Jets’ beatdown by the Patriots on Thanksgiving night, and he addressed his absence in a column on Sunday.
“This was the second time in a row I left before there were four zeroes on the clock,” he said. “I decided to leave Thursday because the confrontations with other Jets fans have become more common, even though most Jets fans are fantastic.”
Anzalone has been wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey, which was apparently too much for the Jets loyalists who have now extinguished the most passionate fan of the team.
“The fact that I chose to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey this year and that fans think I am on the payroll — which is an outright lie — have made these confrontations more frequent,” he wrote. “Whether it’s in the stands, the bathroom or the parking lot, these confrontations are happening on a consistent basis.”
As a result, Fireman Ed is no more.
“I will always love the Jets because they are in my heart, and I will attend games as usual, just not as Fireman Ed,” he said.
Photo via Facebook/Fireman Ed
