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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Catfish tosser says he was ‘dumb redneck with a bad idea’

An ice worker removes a fish during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators on Monday, May 29, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Authorities said Jacob Waddell, of Nolensville, Tenn., is facing charges after allegedly throwing a dead catfish onto the ice during the hockey game, including misdemeanor counts of possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions, as well as a summary count of disorderly conduct. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation commented on social media that investigators had never seen an "instrument of crime" like that. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
An ice worker removes a fish during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators on Monday, May 29, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Authorities said Jacob Waddell, of Nolensville, Tenn., is facing charges after allegedly throwing a dead catfish onto the ice during the hockey game, including misdemeanor counts of possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions, as well as a summary count of disorderly conduct. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation commented on social media that investigators had never seen an "instrument of crime" like that. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) An ice worker removes a fish during the second period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators on Monday, May 29, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Authorities said Jacob Waddell, of Nolensville, Tenn., is facing charges after allegedly throwing a dead catfish onto the ice during the hockey game, including misdemeanor counts of possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions, as well as a summary count of disorderly conduct. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation commented on social media that investigators had never seen an "instrument of crime" like that. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH – A Tennessee man is calling himself a “dumb redneck with a bad idea” after police filed charges against him for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final.

Police say 36-year-old Jacob Waddell threw the dead fish over the glass surrounding the rink on Monday night during the Nashville Predators-Pittsburgh Penguins game.

He was ejected and charged with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions.

Waddell, of Nolensville, told Nashville radio station WGFX-FM that he came up with the idea ahead of a trip to see relatives in Ohio.

He said that “like an ignorant redneck, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to throw a catfish on the ice at this game?'”