Falcons superfan 'BirdLady' pleads not guilty to theft charge
Carolyn Freeman (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
ATLANTA - An Atlanta Falcons superfan known as the "BirdLady" has pleaded not guilty to charges that she scammed a group of fans of thousands of dollars.
Carolyn Freeman was arrested and charged with theft by deception in November.
The backstory:
According to an incident report filed with the Atlanta Police Department, Tamira Southwood, a Kansas City Chiefs fan, told Atlanta police that she and her tailgate group wanted a catered tailgate party with live music before the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Chiefs on Sept. 22.
The group reportedly raised $14,000 for the event, which they paid to Freeman to provide food, drinks, a chef, live entertainment, tents, chairs, prizes, and gifts.
On the morning of the event, Freeman reportedly contacted the group, saying that she had been in the hospital but would still be able to provide her services at noon. However, the party reportedly never occurred, and Southwood filed a fraud report with Atlanta police on Oct. 7.
Freeman was then arrested by Fulton County Marshals and Georgia State University Police on an active arrest warrant from the Atlanta Police Department.
Dig deeper:
Freeman reportedly earned the nickname "BirdLady" in 1998 when Falcons legends Jamal "Dirty Bird" Anderson and Jesse "The Hammer" Tuggle gave her the name after she caught their attention as a passionate fan.
Carolyn "BirdLady" Freeman welcomes people to the Super Bowl LIII on February 1, 2019 in Atlanta, GA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) (Photo by Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
She allegedly became a Falcons superfan after witnessing a Falcon recover from a career-ending injury, which inspired her to start attending games as a form of physical therapy after being bedridden for 12 years.
Freeman has been featured by several media outlets over the years, including HBO Max's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," NFL Network, CBS Sports, FOX, Sports Illustrated, and "Good Morning America." She also appeared in an NFL and Apple Super Bowl commercial promoting Rihanna's halftime show.
What's next:
In court on Tuesday, Freeman waived her formal arraignment. Her final plea hearing is set for July 7 in Fulton County.
The Source: Information for this story was taken from court records and previous FOX 5 reporting.