New deal calls for a year of probation for Super Bowl streakers

TAMPA — A month after rejecting a plea deal he called too lenient, a Hillsborough County judge appears willing to accept a slightly heftier penalty for a pair of men who engineered a streaking prank during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.

In a brief court hearing Tuesday, an attorney for Yuri Andrade and Douglas Schaffer told Hillsborough County Judge Jack Gutman that they had negotiated a new proposal for a year of probation, 100 community service hours, a $500 fine, plus court costs and a letter of apology.

The pair are poised to enter pleas to misdemeanor trespassing charges in the next two weeks, attorney Luis Cartaya said. Neither defendant was present for Tuesday’s hearing, which occurred via Zoom video conference.

Judge Gutman appeared open to the agreement and said he would consider ending their probation early once the other requirements were met. A change-of-plea hearing was set for June.

The judge in April refused to accept a deal that called for six months probation and 25 community service hours.

“He’s going to understand the consequences of his actions, if he’s found guilty,” Gutman said then, speaking of Andrade. “This is not going to be a walk in the park for him.”

Andrade, 32, wore yellow sneakers and a hot pink women’s swimsuit as he dashed across the football field Feb. 7 during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LV. More than 96 million people watched live on CBS as he spun away from a security officer’s grasp and sprinted into the end zone with arms raised. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy Clinton Stearns then plowed into his side and tackled him.

Andrade spent a night in jail. After his release, he gave interviews, including one with the Tampa Bay Times, describing how he and Schaffer, 29, planned the prank with Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who runs a YouTube channel featuring gags and stunts. Andrade told the Times they studied stadium schematics, mapped possible escape routes, and scrutinized similar stunts that had failed.

With minutes to go before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Schaffer entered the field, distracting security officers, so Andrade could make his run.