The “clown movement” has officially arrived in Jacksonville.
Ahead of Sunday’s season finale against the Colts, Jaguars fans descended on TIAA Bank Field wearing clown gear and rainbow wigs as part of a pre-planned prank on team owner Shad Khan following another miserable season.
Not only did a “Klowntown” banner fly over the stadium before kickoff, but a chant to fire general manager Trent Baalke erupted shortly after the game got underway.
The motive behind the clownery is reportedly to push Khan to ax Baalke in lieu of retaining him for 2022 as the Jaguars entered the game 4-12. The general manager is said to be safe, per NFL Network, and will assist Khan in the team’s search for its next head coach.
Khan fired coach Urban Meyer in December, just 13 games into his first season, amid a series of controversies. In October, Meyer was filmed dancing with a woman who wasn’t his wife at a bar in Columbus, Ohio. He was also accused of belittling his assistants and kicking a former Jaguars player at an August practice.
Beyond Meyer, the Jaguars’ first-overall pick, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, has also struggled throughout his rookie season. On Sunday, however, the former Clemson product helped Jacksonville hold a 10-3 lead over Indianapolis at the half.
Leading up to Sunday’s “clown game,” RoofClaim.com, a Georgia-based roofing company, sued the team in hopes of having its name removed from the matchup, per the Associated Press.