Man Sends 240 Doughnuts to College Police After Being Ejected From Football Game

The 31-year-old man has asked to remain anonymous.

ByABC News
November 25, 2015, 1:32 PM
A man sent 240 coconut doughnuts to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department after he was thrown out of a football game over a seating issue.
A man sent 240 coconut doughnuts to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department after he was thrown out of a football game over a seating issue.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Police

— -- A California man sent 240 coconut doughnuts to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department after he was escorted out of a football game last Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers football fan told the department's Public Information Officer Marc Lovicott the snacks were a "harmless" expression of his gratitude and disdain for the department following a misunderstanding over his assigned seat, according to an e-mail exchange obtained by ABC News.

Lovicott told ABC News the department is not revealing the identity of the 31-year-old man because he asked to remain anonymous and was not charged or cited with a crime.

"He was overall very respectful as he said in his e=mail," Lovicott said. "We have a pretty strict policy because of seating issues. If we knew more, it would have been handled differently."

The university's ticket process policy states students "must sit in their designated section and must have their ticket in hand at all times or are subject to removal from Camp Randall Stadium."

The man, whose brother is a UW-Madison alumni, told Lovicott he flew from Los Angeles to meet up with 12 friends to catch the Badgers play against the Northwestern Wildcats. His ticket, however, placed him in a separate section from the group.

"When I attempted to simply enter Section P, I was surrounded by multiple officers who had no interest in my situation or my intentions," the man wrote in an email. "They explained that I could not enter Section P and that I was to be immediately ejected and banned for the day."

On Monday, Nabil Elghadban, owner of People's Bakery, said he received a phone call from the Mr. Delivery company for a very specific request.

"If I spoke with him directly, I'd ask why coconut?" Elghadban told ABC News. "Usually, it's mixed -- not one kind. Maybe people are sensitive to coconut. There is always variety."

Elghadban said he only accepted the $180 order after ensuring his baker was up to the challenge. An additional 25 pounds of coconut was purchased for the order.

Although the anonymous man told Lovicott he opted for coconut because he thought the flavor was "not so awesome," Lovicott said officers were split on their personal preferences. In the end, the cops decided to pass on the doughnuts.

"We packed them all up and sent them to the local Salvation Army," Lovicott said. "They said they would absolutely take them. Our department is not a huge doughnut department. We have a healthy eating initiative."

Lovicott said the police department is using this incident as a "teachable moment" for future interactions with game attendants.

"I don't think [the school] will change the seating policy but we were reminded of our role," he said. "I think we will be taking a step back before making an ultimate decision."