Justice For 'Catfish Guy': Pittsburgh DA Drops Charges Against Nashville Predators Fan

PITTSBURGH, PA — Swim free, Catfish Guy! Jacob Waddell, the Nashville Predators fan deemed a hero by Carrie Underwood and thousands of others, will not face charges for throwing a catfish on to the ice of PPG Paints Arena in Game One of the Stanley Cup Final between the Preds and Pittsburgh Penguins.

"Having reviewed the affidavit involving Mr. Waddell as well as the television coverage of the incident, District Attorney Zappala has made the determination that the actions of Mr. Waddell do not rise to the level of criminal charges. As such, the three charges filed against Mr. Waddell will be withdrawn in a timely manner," Allegheny County District Attorney Spokesman Mike Manko said in a statement. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

According to a police report, Waddell bought the catfish in Tennessee and vacuum sealed it before putting it in his compression shorts. The report says Waddell removed the fish from his shorts in a men's room before heaving it iceward in the second period of Monday's game. Ryan Ellis tallied the Predators first goal of the game almost immediately afterward. Waddell was charged with disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and possession of an instrument of a crime. The last charge was much mocked, as it implicitly declared the beloved bottom-feeder a criminal instrument, a designation that even the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation chided.

“The cop told me, to my face, ‘You are being charged with disorderly conduct. You will get a ticket, a citation in the mail.’ … That’s what I was told. Now they come out with a couple other trumped-up charges, which are BS. I mean, a catfish isn’t an instrument of whatever-the-hell-they’re-saying-it-was, and I didn’t disrupt a meeting. It was an athletic event,” Waddell told the 104.5 The Game's Midday 180 Monday.

Ellis' post-catfish goal started a furious comeback for the Predators, as they stormed back from a 3-0 first period deficit to tie it 3-3 in the third period. Ultimately, though, the Penguins would go on to win Game One 5-3.

Nashville's catfish toss dates back to the early days of the franchise, a Southern response to the long-standing Detroit Red Wings tradition of heaving an octopus onto the rink. It's now so associated with Nashville that famous Pittsburgh fish market Wholey's is requiring ID to buy the bottom-feeding delicacy and will not be selling it to Tennesseans.