Were Scheduled To Jump Into M&T Bank Stadium In Baltimore

The U.S. Navy elite parachute team The Leap Frogs had been scheduled to skydive over M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday ... the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States ... landing in the stadium prior to the Ravens/Steelers game.

But on game day, the team was informed by CBS Sports that they would not be allowed to make the jump, according to a report appearing on the website The Blaze.

CBS cited safety as the reason for cancelling the performance. They had installed a camera system suspended on cables over the field for the broadcast, and they said in a statement to the website that they had "serious safety concerns given the wiring and cabling in the stadium." They said the decision to cancel the performance was made jointly by the network and the Ravens.

Leap Frogs spokesman Petty Officer 1st Class Fletcher Gibson told The Blaze that they had seen the system on the walkthrough the day before the game, and the Leap Frogs evaluated the camera system and its wiring. “For the record, the stadium did look like a particularly tricky jump, but I’m sure we could’ve done it,” Gibson said.

The team initially posted on Facebook that it was "extremely disappointed and sad that on 9/11 we are not able to demonstrate the extreme professionalism of America’s service members," but later posted a second message that said the Ravens were "extremely supportive of the team jumping in but in the end it was not going to be favorable."

The Leap Frogs did participate in other Fleet Week activities in Baltimore over the weekend, including a jump into Oriole Park at Camden Yards stadium prior to a baseball game on Sunday and demonstration at a local high school.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.facebook.com/leapfrogs