A pilot who flew a drone into M&T Bank Stadium’s airspace Thursday night, twice stalling the Baltimore Ravens division rival matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, was unaware of the restricted zone, the Maryland Stadium Authority said Friday.

Referees stopped the game and players cleared the field because the airspace around any National Football League stadium is off-limits for an hour before and after a game. Despite the odd delay, the Ravens emerged victorious.

Officials from the Maryland Stadium Authority and Maryland State Police tracked and responded to where the drone operator was and told them to land the drone. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and will determine whether the pilot will be penalized.

The officials “identified and interviewed the pilot/operator who was unaware of the restrictions and did not have a [temporary flight restriction] waiver to operate the drone in stadium airspace during the game,” a stadium authority spokesperson said.

Although the FAA can’t criminally prosecute offenders, it can fine drone operators more than $30,000 if their conduct is unsafe and endangers other aircraft or people on the ground. The FAA can also suspend or revoke pilot certifications.

“The FAA encourages the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement and to help discourage this dangerous, illegal activity,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Along with NFL games, drones can’t be flown within 3 miles of a stadium before or after any Major League Baseball and NCAA Division One football games or NASCAR Sprint Cup, Indy Car and Champ Series races.

Drone disruptions have become an increasing challenge for venue security nationwide.

Maryland Stadium Authority officials say more enforcement is needed.

“The drone detection technology the Maryland Stadium Authority implemented in 2021 has been effective for detecting unauthorized drones operating in airspace around the Camden Yards Sport Complex, but more needs to be done around drone security,” Vernon J. Conaway Jr., the stadium authority’s vice president of safety and security, said in a statement.

Stadium security officials can track and identify unauthorized drones and their pilots, but state and local law enforcement should have more authority to use “counter-drone measures to mitigate those drones that pose a credible threat to our venues,” Conaway continued.

All recreational flyers are required by law to pass a safety test, and they must register the drone with the FAA.

Last month, Columbus police charged a 28-year-old man for test-flying a drone over the Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State and Maryland football game, causing the players to leave the field.

Maryland Stadium Authority officials in 2021 hired a security company that specializes in drone detection after a drone hovered near M&T Bank Stadium for 10 minutes during a December game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The authority wanted to beef up its detection security that year for the upcoming Orioles season at Camden Yards.

New signs around Camden Yards remind fans the stadium is a “No Drone Zone.”

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Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz stared back at a few dozen reporters on a Zoom call Friday afternoon after informing them top prospect Colson Montgomery doesn’t have to worry about making the team out of spring training.

No one had any more questions and no one was stopping the Zoom.

Getz wasn’t sure exactly what to do.

“Are we at the point where we just do a staredown?” Getz asked reporters.

I was prepared to take over as emergency moderator, but the White Sox media relations man got back on the screen after his Wi-Fi returned, saving the day.

It’s been that kind of a year for the White Sox, who never found a low point that couldn’t get even lower.

The recent exodus by broadcaster Jason Benetti to the Detroit Tigers booth was just the latest blow, coming off a season so horrible Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf admitted he wouldn’t watch the games on his DVR if the Sox lost. The team lost 101 games, so he missed some of Benetti’s finest moments.

Getz, the first-year general manager who replaced longtime Twitter piñata Rick Hahn, has been charged with the responsibility of changing the narrative on the Sox after “BenExit.” He’s already proven to be adept on the dismantling part, sending left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves for five players, including a possible replacement for shortstop Tim Anderson in Nicky Lopez.

Getz said Friday the addition of Lopez, who can also play second base, won’t have any residual effect on Montgomery’s future.

Colson is a special talent, he is,” Getz said. “He’ll certainly let us know he’s ready.”

That suggests Colson hasn’t yet told the Sox he’s ready, or maybe he’s too shy.

Rest assured Montgomery is the face-of-the-franchise-in-waiting and Anderson’s exit left a roster spot for him. When Montgomery gets that chance was going to be a spring-training question that could’ve carried the news cycle during many Cactus League snoozers.

Sox manager Pedro Grifol went a little overboard last September when he insisted everyone invited to spring training would get a chance to make the team. This obviously included Montgomery, the team’s only “name” prospect. Getz was asked about him at the recent general managers meetings.

“I don’t want to have the expectation for Colson to think he’s going to be our opening day shortstop,” Getz said earlier this month. “But I don’t want to cap anything for him either because it’s important for him to stay motivated and be ready to go in spring training because he knows how 2024 unravels for him.”

On Friday, Getz fed the possibility by raving about Montgomery’s “impressive” play in the Arizona Fall League.

“What he did in the box, the decisions he makes, the temperament, the (being) under control, the operation that he has, really stands out,” he said. “And then defensively he was a solid defender at shortstop. So he was certainly was one of the players talked about, (and third baseman) Bryan Ramos was as well.

“To have those guys on the left side of the infield there in Glendale was fun to watch, and (we) look forward to 2024. We do feel like both those guys are not only taking off, but ready to take off even further.”

So there was no talk of Montgomery making the Sox out of camp?

“No, the guys haven’t even talked of that,” he said.

So much for that story. Back to the Sox rebuild, already in progress.

“Project: Kansas City,” the unofficial name given Getz’s royal plan by social media wise guys, at least has some legs. Lopez spent most of his career with the Royals, the organization Getz and Grifol have a not-so-secret crush for. Unlike Anderson, Lopez can catch and throw accurately on a daily basis, which means he’s already an upgrade.

Getz successfully shed Bummer’s $5.5 million salary and waved goodbye to a left-hander whose five-year, $16 million deal in February 2020 turned out to be a failed, long-term gamble by Hahn based on early career projections.

The Bummer deal also continued the emptying out of the 2023 bullpen that included Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López, Keynan Middleton, Jake Diekman and two guest appearances by infielder Hanser Alberto.

It will not be remembered fondly.

Alberto’s 21.60 ERA was not even the worst on the team. That honor went to actual reliever José Ruiz, who posted a 22.09 ERA in four outings. That’s so Sox.

After Liam Hendriks’ option was declined, Getz might avoid handing out those large, multiyear deals to relievers, a Hahn trademark. Paying that kind of money on the bullpen was always a dicey proposition for the Sox, who’ve had difficulties drafting, signing or acquiring relievers for decades.

Garrett Crochet’s health is imperative in 2024 after missing the 2022 season following left elbow reconstruction surgery and dealing with shoulder issues for most of 2023. He’s ready to be their Hendriks on the field and in the clubhouse, but whether he’ll be a starter or reliever is anyone’s guess, assuming he’s healthy.

“Coming into spring training, there is going to be an innings progression for him, and we’ll make a decision at some point whether we continue to extend those innings and build him up or if there’s a greater need in a different role for the White Sox,” Getz said. “Obviously I want him to be a multi-inning pitcher — if that means that it’s going to work toward a starter, so be it.”

It’s going to be an interesting offseason for the Sox, and Getz has his hands on the wheel with both eyes on the road.

Let the staredown begin.

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The Gophers offense was looking for a certain coverage from Michigan State’s defense before Minnesota dialed up one specific pass play at Huntington Bank Stadium on Oct. 28.

Coordinator Greg Harbaugh called the play at the end of the first half, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal, and stuck with it on a key third down when trailing 6-3. The Spartans played man coverage underneath, with one deep safety.

Receiver Daniel Jackson gave a stutter-step move coming off the line of scrimmage and the quick burst out of it created separation from the cornerback; Athan Kaliakmanis found Jackson open in the middle of the field and front of the safety for 22-yard touchdown and a 10-6 halftime lead.

“At this point, it was just, ‘Screw it,’ ” Jackson relayed about sticking with the play postgame. As Jackson said that, to his left, Kaliakmanis briefly chortled and smiled.

Kaliakmanis and Jackson have established great chemistry this season; they will need many positive results on some grand experiments when the four-touchdown underdog Gophers (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) play No. 2-ranked Ohio State (10-0, 7-0) at 3 p.m. CT Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes have one of the best receivers in the nation in Marvin Harrison Jr., but the Gophers believe Jackson deserves a spot near Harrison on the all-Big Ten teams. The numbers back it up, and those honors will be voted on and announced after the regular season.

‘I think last year he was good receiver,” head coach P.J. Fleck said of Jackson in early November. “This year, I think he is a really great receiver.”

Jackson leads the Gophers in every key receiving category — receptions (45), yards (681) and touchdowns (seven). Each of those marks are in the top five on the conference leader board.

In three of the previous four games, Jackson has produced at least seven catches and 100-plus yards.

The Gophers have been plagued by drops from pass-catchers this season, which cost them at key moments in losses to Illinois and Purdue the past two weeks.

“Right now, we have not been consistent enough — maybe just around (Jackson) at times,” Fleck lamented. “If we are, we probably win a few more games.”

But Jackson has been their reliable go-to guy.

Against Michigan State, Gophers coaches let Kaliakmanis and Jackson do their thing.

“Sometimes, you have to let players play,” Harbaugh said a few weeks ago. “That is the cool thing about our guys; they are growing up. They are continuing to get better.”

Before their touchdown connection against the Spartans, Kaliakmanis was flushed out of the pocket and threw a jump ball to Jackson. It didn’t appeared to be smart throw lofted into coverage — until Jackson came down with it.

“I trust D-Jack so much,” Kaliakmanis said. “I think it meant a lot to do that. But like I said, I trust the guys around me. They are going to make plays. A couple of plays before that, I just throw the ball up and he goes up and gets it. He’s just one heck of a player.”

While Jackson is listed at 6-feet, Fleck added: “I think he plays as a really big receiver. He’s not the biggest guy. When you see him, he’s not 6-4, but he plays really big and can play really small when he needs to. He’s lightning-quick and explosive.”

Fleck pointed to Jackson’s maturity on and off the field as a key reason why he’s blossomed this fall. The Gophers have a saying: a smarter player is a better player. And Jackson has started to embody that.

“Daniel has really grown up as a man and as a person, and that is what you see on the field,” Fleck said. “I think the ability to play every position and do a lot of different things. I think he has really evolved his game.”

Jackson’s mother JaKyta Lawrie said she has seen Daniel’s maturity in how he now communicates with family members — which have also been important relationships for them.

“He’s just being more intentional with his communications and staying in touch with families, and just reminding us of how much he loves us and appreciates us,” Lawrie said Friday from Columbus, Ohio. “That’s really been a big step in his maturity and just growing into an adult and realizing all of his blessings.”

Minnesota Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) is photographed during the team’s football media day in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Now in his fourth season at the U, Jackson plays all the U’s receiver positions, from the slot and split wide. He’s also tasked with option routes based on what the defense is presenting to them.

“I think his understanding of defenses has been way better because he does run some option routes,” Fleck said. “Having a really good decisive decision when you are making those things is important. … He is running every route in the route tree, and he is doing it at a very high level.”

From the stands at every game, Lawrie has seen Jackson’s present himself in a different way on the field.

“I’m starting to see a little bit of his personality come out more on the field,” Lawrie told the Pioneer Press. “He’s not always been a very emotional kind of player, not very vocal, but he’s really coming from his own. And I can just see how he just really loves the game still, just like when he was a young boy.”

That might come in a release of emotion after a big catch or in his assertiveness in run blocking, Lawrie observes. (Jackson is also the U’s fifth-highest-graded run blocker, per Pro Football Focus.)

“Sometimes he’ll do a celebration; that’s not something that he’s just always done playing football the majority of his life,” Lawrie said. “I just see him being aggressive in his blocking and just holding his own.”

One of Jackson’s finest moments came with his toe-drag touchdown to help the Gophers beat Nebraska in the season opener in late August. Afterward, NFL Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson reached out to Jackson on social media.

“That meant a lot to him,” Lawrie said. “He definitely wasn’t expecting that. But that game was very special. I think it really did something, just overall, for Daniel to have that type of exposure.”

Jackson aspires to play in the NFL, but his primary goal this season has been to play in every game. He’s on his way, playing in all 10 games so far. He missed two games apiece in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Jackson, who has one final year of eligibility for 2024, will make a decision about turning pro after the season, Lawrie said. Right now, he’s just enjoying the moment.

The indelible experience this year for Jackson and Co. came when 20 family members traveled from his home in Kansas City, Kansas, to Iowa City for the U’s game against the Hawkeyes in October.

Lawrie and husband Kenneth travel to every game, but for that occasion Lawrie rented a passenger van well in advance and they drove north and east for four hours and 30 minutes to see Jackson play.

The van was used to better accommodate elder family members, including Lawrie’s mother and Jackson’s grandmother, Janice Sullivan. The 76-year-old is coming off surgeries to her back and a knee earlier this year, but she was determined to see Jackson play college football in person for the first time.

As Jackson made seven receptions for 101 yards in the 12-10 win over Iowa, Sullivan kept saying: “He’s doing that for me because he’s knows I’m here watching!” Lawrie relayed. “Every run, every catch, it was: “I told my baby to do it for me! He’s doing it for his grandma!”

I drove a 15 passenger van to Iowa full of family to support Daniel and the team, and this win meant so much! My mom saw her grandson play college football live for the first time. Thank u to the Gopher and Iowa fans who helped my mom on those stairs. #floydishome #gopherswin pic.twitter.com/cR0OGajgzM

— Dr. JaKyta Lawrie (@jakyta_lawrie) October 22, 2023

After the Gophers won the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry trophy, Jackson, still wearing his jersey, made his way into the stands to be with his family at Kinnick Stadium.

“He wanted to make sure we got pictures with everyone, that he gave everybody hugs and thanked them for coming out,” Lawrie said. “It was just a really special moment. It really was.”

Jacking it up

Daniel Jackson’s stats and his Big Ten rank in receiving categories this season:

45 receptions — 5th

681 receiving yards —3rd

7 touchdowns — tied for 3rd

15.1 average yards per catch — 4th

68.1 average yards per game — 3rd

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