College football should never, ever be a matter of life and death, yet, tragically, here we are.
According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, 46-year-old Robert Powers was beaten in a bar fight early Sunday morning and, after being on life support ever since, died Tuesday. Two individuals, 27-year-old Azia Crockett and 24-year-old Ryan Anthony, have now been charged with one count each of felony manslaughter as a result of Bowers’ death.
Bowers was an Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, the other two, Anthony and Crockett, are LSU Tiger fans. According to the Ponchatoula Chief of Police, the three individuals were involved in a verbal argument at a bar over the Alabama-LSU game Saturday night that turned physical.
“Anthony struck Bowers in the head, knocked him unconscious,” the police chief, Bry Layrisson, told the Advocate. “He went to the ground and Azia Crockett punched him multiple times, as well.”
Witnesses were unsure what was said between the two sides that triggered the escalation.
Bowers was discovered unconscious by authorities at the bar after police were called. From WBRZ-TV: