MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A couple of University of Miami fans believe they were racially profiled after they were tossed out of Saturday's showdown with Notre Dame.
The fans said they were just enjoying the game and trading some barbs with Notre Dame fans when they were suddenly told that they had to leave Hard Rock Stadium.
The men believe some of the Fighting Irish fans targeted them because they're black, because no one else in their party was thrown out and the fans had made racially charged statements during the game.
"What I don't like and what was intolerable is using this policy to target someone for race or bigotry," Shomari Drew said.
Drew said he was angry, disappointed and frustrated with Miami-Dade police on Saturday.
Drew said he and three of his friends were seated together at Hard Rock Stadium when police showed up and said two of them had to go.
"(I said,) 'Are you sure it's us? Why are you removing us?' He immediately said, 'You should be lucky that you're not in cuffs.' At that point, I left with them," Drew said.
Drew said four Notre Dame fans who were seated behind him left in the fourth quarter and accused him and his friend of spitting at them.
But he said that never happened, and other fans in their area told police that the claim wasn't true.
"They only removed the two black males that were with our group," Drew said.
Police said they were following the stadium code of conduct that prohibits fans from interfering with others' enjoyment of a game, or making foul, abusive and obscene gestures.
Drew believes the policy is broad and can be misused.
"If there was a problem with all of us, they would have reported the four of us. They only reported two of us -- the two black men in the group," Drew said.
Drew said a video showing an officer punching a UM fan earlier this month gave him pause.
He said he didn't want to argue with officers, despite having paid $450 for each ticket.
"Can you imagine if I had been arrested? The impact that would have on my job, my career?" he said.
Drew said he has been told by stadium officials that they reviewed surveillance video from the section he was in and determined that he did nothing wrong.
He said they claimed that they would be taking a look at their code of conduct policy.
It's unclear whether Drew will be refunded for the $2,000 he spent on four tickets to the game.