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NFL reporter Ed Werder ripped into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday following the politician’s remarks about snowballs thrown at NYPD officers.
NYPD officers were seen on video being beaten while walking through Washington Square Park, according to several videos on social media. Officers were responding to a call about a large and disorderly group in the park, an NYPD spokesperson said. Some officers suffered multiple facial lacerations.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Mamdani appeared to downplay the incident.
“How anyone who wears a badge stands with this mayor, let alone risks their life for him, is beyond me,” the former ESPN reporter wrote on X.
Werder explained to critics that he had always viewed law enforcement with great esteem.
“It doesn’t matter where you live. Treating the police with such disrespect is wrong,” he added.
Mamdani wrote on social media earlier Tuesday that he had seen the videos of the police officers being pelted with snowballs.
NFL reporter Ed Werder at Dallas Cowboys training camp at River Ridge Fields on July 27, 2022. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
“Officers, like all city employees, were on the ground in a historic snowstorm, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving,” Mamdani wrote on X. “Treat them with respect. If anyone catches a snowball, it’s me.”
No arrests were made in the incident.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) told PK Press Club Digital that while “some people” might try to dismiss the incident as “college hijackings or harmless kids throwing snowballs,” deliberately targeting uniformed police officers while they are carrying out their lawful duties constitutes assault.
“We cannot condemn strongly enough the recent shameful and dangerous attacks on NYPD officers while responding to a 911 call in Washington Square Park,” SBA President Vincent Vallelong wrote in a statement. “The behavior of the people who threw the snowballs, many of whom are believed to be NYU students, was reckless and illegal, and put the lives and safety of others at risk.”
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Vallelong added that those throwing snow and ice at officers “are crossing[ed] a clear line.
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