Ravens' AFC Title Game Drone Pilot Pleads Guilty, Sentenced Probation

This week provided a definitive conclusion to the drone saga that interrupted the Baltimore Ravens' AFC Championship Game experience.

Lamar Jackson wasn't the only aerial threat that will remember the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game for all the wrong reasons.

Per a report from Dylan Segelbaum of The Baltimore Banner, the Pennsylvania resident whose drone briefly interrupted January's postseason tilt between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs pled guilty to charges of knowingly or willfully violating U.S. national defense airspace. The pilot, Matthew Hebert of Delaware County, was sentenced to one year of probation and a $500 fine.

USA TODAY SPORTS

Hebert's drone hovered over the temporarily restricted air space of M&T Bank Stadium during first quarter action. Time was briefly called as the situation was resolved for what CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz referred to as an "administrative timeout."

According to Segelbaum's report, Hebert was unaware of the airspace restrictions around the stadium, as his drone control app had not posted any advisories about flying in the area. Hebert also claimed to be unaware of the delay he had caused until informed by responding law enforcement. FAA regulations had closed the area from an hour before kickoff to an hour after the game's conclusion.

Drone invasions were a bizarrely common occurrence at M&T Bank Stadium this season: in a different report from Hayes Gardner of the Baltimore Sun, local authorities claimed there were eight violations of FAA restrictions in November alone, leading the Maryland Stadium Authority's vice president for public safety and security Vernon Conway to refer to it as a "growing problem." 

Ravens Fan Charged With Air Space Violation During AFC Championship Game

Two of those happenings came during the Ravens' nationally-streamed Thursday night tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 16.