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A prestigious university has also apologised to the reporter over the embarrassing scene, which has quickly gone viral. Olivia Cleary, who works for ABC affiliate KEZI in Oregon, was covering a game between Oregon State University and Lafayette on the weekend. Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. At what appeared to be quarter-time in the match, when the scores were locked at 3-3 before Oregon State powered to a 45-13 win, Cleary did her best to give a live update from the stadium back to the studio. The young reporter was commenting on coaching changes made for the home side the Beavers, who had lost their first seven games of the season. “You can definitely tell there is a new playcaller in town,” Cleary said in a video you can see above. “The offence is looking – one second – the offence is looking a lot more versatile with their tight end getting more reps. “They all seem characteristic with the running game and have seen a lot more passes from (quarterback) Maalik Murphy to Trent Walker. “And I think, even though the game is tied, the offence has looked entirely different and we’ll see how it goes through the second half of this game.” Unfortunately for Cleary – and anyone who had the misfortune of watching that video – there were some absolute clowns that couldn’t resist the opportunity to get on television, even if it meant complete embarrassment. As soon as the clip on X begins, one fan who appears to have had one or 10 too many local beverages begins screaming “6-7” as loud as he possibly can. For anyone wondering, “6-7” is a recent slang term that has exploded on social media and is understood to have originated from a track by American rapper Skrilla. It has been banned in some American classrooms and it’s not hard to see why, judging by the Oregon video. After giving her report, Cleary appears to be listening to whoever is on the other end of the coverage and somehow manages to maintain a smile as the screaming continues. After about the 10th time the bloke yells six-seven, someone off-camera is heard saying “no, we’re live” and then saying “stop”, but none of it made any difference. Finally someone pointed out his age, heard saying “he’s 22 years old, by the way”, and that seemed to be the moment it all finally dawned on him and he stopped screaming. He wasn’t the only person Cleary had to deal with, with another crowd member coming on screen and asking for “help”, while another shoved his entire face in front of the camera. Cleary appeared to show some frustration when she briefly closed her eyes after yet another scream from right behind her, but she never lost her focus. Cleary tweeted about the moment after the video went viral. “I’m aware of the video circulating and want to thank everyone for the support!” Cleary wrote. “At the start of my live shot, fans were kind and added a fun element to my coverage. “As it went on, a few fans stuck around and things got a little out of hand which is what you saw. “For the most part, ‘Beaver Nation’ has been very welcoming to me. Live TV is unpredictable and sometimes you have to roll with it!” Oregon State’s athletic program then responded, posting its own statement to X. “We’re aware of the incident circulating on social media involving disruptive fan behaviour during a live report,” it stated. “The actions displayed do not reflect the values of Beaver Nation or our fan code of conduct.” In a second post, officials said they “commend” Cleary for “her professionalism and composure in handling the moment”. “We are reviewing the situation further and apologise to the reporter for her experience,” they added. There has been a huge reaction to the viral moment, with many praising Cleary while condemning the actions of the individuals around her. Reporter Meghan MacPherson replied to Cleary’s post: “As a fellow local TV reporter, I commend you for handling this situation with such grace and composure. “Being heckled like this is incredibly distracting but you didn’t miss a beat. Major kudos.” Cameron Derby, a sports director for KEZI, called the situation “extremely frustrating to watch”. “Ridiculous behaviour and extremely unfair to a young, professional reporter trying to grow her career,” Derby wrote. “Olivia did not deserve this. No one does. If the game isn’t exciting enough, go home.” Derby later tweeted: “I also want to say, Olivia did an incredible job working through it. “The position she was put in probably felt like hours. I applaud how steady she stayed. “She wouldn’t let that stop the story from being told.” One of the videos is shared by Brett Austin Taylor, another KEZI sports director. Jenna Laine, who covers NFL for ESPN, aimed her comment at Taylor when she wrote: “As a sports director, why is she alone in an unsecured space and why are you posting this instead of her? “Crowd shots should only happen if you have the ability to protect your reporter. “She has no eyes behind her and she has a bright light in her face. Disorienting + unsafe.” Taylor and Laine then had a series of back and forth comments, with Taylor ultimately writing: “I appreciate your feedback. This will be an experience I will learn from … to make sure doesn’t happen again.” Elsewhere, X user Paul Russell wrote: “That is a phenomenal job to power through all that drunk frat boy energy without missing a beat. Nicely done.” Crystal said: “I’m sorry, but I would definitely punch the 6-7 guy in the face. This is insane behaviour.” Another X user agreed, writing: “Someone punch that guy in the face!”
