The snowball fight was originally organized by students on the school's football team, and many athletes reportedly participated in the snow-assault caught on video. The UO athletics department confirmed Sunday that they are investigating the video, saying in a statement, "The behavior exhibited in the video is completely unacceptable and dangerous. We take this matter very seriously and disciplinary actions have begun."
The video was posted online by UO student newspaper The Daily Emerald, and went viral over the weekend. In the video, students aggressively pelt a car with snowballs and continue their snowball assault on the driver - retired UO professor Sherwin Simmons - when he exits the vehicle in an attempt to stop the students.
"Someone started banging on the car and it was like the
The 60-year-old former professor said he is not pressing charges and has "confidence that the reaction of the university given what has happened will be proportional."
The UO Dean of Students said in a statement that the UOPD is investigating the video:
Police hope to determine the identities of those who were throwing snowballs, whether they are UO students and whether their actions constitute a criminal act ... The University of Oregon takes the conduct of its students seriously. Consequences are clear for those whose actions reflect poorly upon the university or violate its standards for student behavior. However, until the facts of the snowball-throwing incident are sorted out, it would be premature to speculate about any potential outcomes in this case.
Watch The Daily Emerald's video of the snowball fight below: