AP

Football players should be careful about how they approach fans who run on the field, lest they face a lawsuit.

Last week a fan ran on the field at a Canadian Football League game and was flattened by Marcell Young, a defensive back for the B.C. Lions. Now that fan says Young injured him, and he has hired a lawyer.

The fan’s lawyer released a statement saying he “suffered serious injuries, including a mild traumatic brain injury, as a result of being violently struck by BC Lions player Marcell Young.”

The fan was fined $115 for trespassing. He obviously didn’t belong on the field, although the CFL (and the NFL, and any sports league) would probably prefer that players let security handle it, rather than get involved in apprehending runaway fans themselves. In the days of Mike Curtis, a player could get away with decking a fan. But these days, fans can be quite litigious.