Duquesne calls a foul on DoorDash prankster who interrupted game

There were all the sounds one would expect during Wednesday night’s nationally televised basketball game at Duquesne University’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse — sneakers squeaking on the hardwood floor, cheers from the crowd and referees’ whistles.

There also was something not so ordinary.

Early in the second half of the men’s game between Duquesne and Loyola Chicago, a young man wearing a yellow jacket and white high-top sneakers stepped onto a corner of the court as a visiting player, feet away, made an errant pass into the post.

The man in yellow held what appeared to be a to-go bag of food and a beverage.

“DoorDash? DoorDash?” he called out.

A staffer working courtside quickly intervened.

“You gotta get off the court,” he told the young man.

As announcers calling the game on ESPN+, including Tribune-Review columnist Tim Benz, tried to fathom what they were seeing, the young man kept asking, “DoorDash? DoorDash for Ryan?”

“Two Big Macs?”

The staffer directed the man up into the seats. Moments later, another staffer asked him to leave the building.

He was filmed afterward being congratulated by some fans for pulling off the stunt. The video was posted to a YouTube account called Young Rich Nations.

Officials say the incident, video of which went viral on social media, was not a real food delivery.

“It was clearly a so-called prank by an attention-seeker,” Dave Saba, Duquesne’s associate athletic director for media relations, said Thursday.

The young man’s identity was not immediately known. The university said officials who reviewed the video did not recognize the man.

It was unclear if the man is connected in any way to the university or if he could face criminal charges.

In determining it was a prank, Saba pointed to a YouTube video showing the man standing in an arena concourse before he ventured onto the court.

“Some crazy (expletive) I’m gonna do,” the man is heard saying as he mugs for the camera.

He then says he’s going onto the court.

Duquesne spokesman Gabriel Welsch said the university has reviewed its safety protocols and tightened security to prevent a repeat occurrence at the 3,500-seat arena.

Welsch said the university works to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for players and spectators.

“We also rely on common courtesy and the civility of those in attendance to adhere to the guidelines that are in place,” he added.

“This was a prank, planned in advance, done for internet exposure,” Welsch said. “We determined that the individual was wearing a mic while someone filmed him as he walked onto the court during play.

“While the incident may have seemed funny at the time, and no harm was done, we are mindful that incidents like this can put players and officials at risk.”

Austin Hansen, assistant athletic director for content development and broadcast operations for Loyola Chicago, shared the video on Twitter in a tweet that had drawn more than 1.5 million views as of Thursday afternoon.

In the tweet, Hansen wrote, “I will personally tackle anyone else who does this. Just let the athletes play the game without worry that they are going to get hurt by a stray delivery person.”

1. I did not order the McDonalds, even though it was being "delivered" steps from my camera position.

— Austin Hansen (@AustinHansenTV) January 26, 2023

Barstool Sports shared the video in a tweet that had been viewed more than 700,000 times as of Thursday afternoon.

UberEats driver doing the absolute most. Gotta give him 5 stars plus a big tip. No other option. pic.twitter.com/VToDDOJ7o6

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 26, 2023

Eli Scheinholtz, a spokesman for San Francisco-based DoorDash, said the company had no comment.

As for the game, which took somewhat of a back seat to the prank, Duquesne came from behind to beat Loyola Chicago, 72-58, improving the Dukes’ record to 14-7.