The Piggyback Bandit may sound like a light-hearted nickname, but the reality behind the moniker is anything but.
Sherwin Shayegan, known as the Piggyback Bandit, has now been banned from attending high school athletic events in five states for behavior that has been described as "creepy" and "disturbing." Last Friday, Minnesota became the most recent to impose the ban, following the lead of Washington, Oregon, Montana and North Dakota. The South Dakota High School Activities Association also plans to follow suit and ban the Piggyback Bandit.
Shayegan, 28, has been making his way around the country, disguising himself as a local high school sports fan. While at athletic events, he has been known to jump on the backs of high school athletes or engage in other unusual behavior.
Just last week, Shayegan was seen at several sporting events in Minnesota, including games in St. Cloud and Minneapolis.
"In St. Cloud, he went into a game and was escorted out," said David Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League. "In Minneapolis, he asked if he had been banned from high school games. The answer was yes, and he left."
The Piggyback Bandit was also spotted at a Division III college basketball game between St. Olaf and Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn. This was a break from his usual pattern of frequenting high school games, and Shayegan sat behind the St. Olaf bench. According to Jim Cella, Concordia's sports information director, Shayegan was pouring water for the players and remained close to the team during timeouts.
He didn't jump on the backs of any athletes like he had in other states, but Shayegan's behavior had Cella keeping a close eye on him.
"He just comes in, 'I just wanted to help. I wanted to help the team. I'm a fan. I wanted to help the team.' I said, 'I understand that, but you can't be by the bench,'" Cella said. "He blended in. He was just wearing basketball shorts and a T-shirt. He looked like an older student or somebody who would go to the game. . . . As far as he was concerned, he didn't do anything out of the ordinary."
Shayegan's behavior in other states was far more peculiar. In 2010, Shayegan was banned from high school games in Oregon by the Oregon School Activities Association after he made his way into a locker room without permission following a basketball tournament and asked for autographs from the players. He later sought piggyback rides from players in the parking lot and jumped on their backs.
Last October in Helena, Mont., he was overheard in his hotel lobby saying that he was going to jump on kids' backs at the state's Class AA soccer tournament. A hotel clerk called the police when she heard that, and plainclothes officers were sent to the soccer fields. Shayegan was arrested when he jumped on a kid's back at the soccer fields. Officials learned that he had also done the same thing earlier in the day, and Shayegan was charged with two counts of assault.
On Feb. 1, Shayegan pled guilty to the charges and was fined $730 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence. That clearly hasn't stopped him from his odd behavior, however, as he has been seen at events in North Dakota and Minnesota since his court appearance.
"It's very disconcerting to me that he was told by the judge here to go back to Seattle and behave himself and not do this anymore, and with him charged, having it as part of his record, he continues to go and chase athletic events and do these things," said Mark Beckman, executive director of the Montana High School Association. "To me, it's very disturbing."
Shayegan was in North Dakota earlier this month, appearing at two high school games in Bismarck. After attending a basketball game between Bismarck Century and St. Mary's Central High School, the Piggyback Bandit was later seen at a hockey game between South Century High School and Fargo South.
"What he does is he impersonates an avid fan, kind of plays in between so both schools aren't quite sure who he belongs to," said Jim Haussler, the activities director for Bismarck Public Schools. "And then what he does is he befriends some of the student-athletes. He'll even get water for athletes (and) fold uniforms. When he was at our place, he dressed in basketball attire and appeared to be an adult with special needs."
Haussler has been Bismarck's activities director for 22 years. During that time, he said he's never seen anything quite like the Piggyback Bandit.
"I don't think unusual is the right descriptor," he said. "I think creepy is a much better description of the type of behavior he was exhibiting. It created quite a stir among parents once they realized who he was."
Shayegan recently inquired about his legal status in South Dakota, calling the South Dakota High School Activities Association office last Friday to do so. He has not yet been banned from games in that state, but SDHSAA executive director Wayne Carney said Shayegan will soon be banned from South Dakota high school athletic events.
Haussler said he received a similar phone call from Shayegan after the incident in Bismarck on Feb. 4. While Shayegan called to issue an apology that Haussler didn't believe was sincere, he also was questioning where he stood legally.
"The man needs help," Haussler said. "My response when I talked to him, I just said if he does not receive professional help, he will likely end up in jail."
Still, the strange reality is that Shayegan could easily be en route to yet another state, looking to blend in at another sporting event.
"He's been the butt of a lot of jokes. People talk about him. They laugh about it and all that," Haussler said. "But it has to be taken seriously because behavior is creepy, and the safety of kids is No. 1. Everything else is pretty secondary to safety. So we need to take him very seriously. There's a comical aspect to it, but the seriousness much overweighs it."
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