After fizzled tailgates, Falcons superfan 'Birdlady' faces criminal charges

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Carolyn "Birdlady" Freeman sat in her familiar season-ticket perch on Nov. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Atlanta Falcons superfan had maintained status as a seat-license holder for years. Dressed in the Birdlady regalia that had made her a local celebrity -- a white feathered costume trimmed in red and black, shiny silver gloves, long white boots -- everything about Freeman and her unsettling "hooty-hoo" cheer seemed designed to draw attention.

Only this time, the attention wasn't so welcome. During the second quarter, stadium security motioned for her to exit her third-row seat in Section 116. They escorted her upstairs, then placed her under arrest. After a visit to the Atlanta Police precinct inside the stadium, she was transferred to the Fulton County Jail and booked for felony theft by deception. On Jan. 9, District Attorney Fani T. Willis filed a single-count accusation, the equivalent of an indictment but not involving a grand jury.


This is a buyer-beware saga of tailgates gone awry, of disgruntled football partiers who say they paid big money for pregame blowouts that failed to materialize. The charges against Freeman, alleging she collected more than $14,000 for services she failed to deliver, represent the first criminal case to emerge after several public complaints involving her over several years.

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The federal status of her Birdlady Cares Inc. nonprofit lent credibility to her well-publicized business and charitable works, former clients said. But a complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service alleges Freeman abused that status for fraudulent business purposes -- something she denies.

The Falcons won't discuss her case. Freeman said the Falcons recently sent her a cease-and-desist letter regarding the unauthorized use of the team's trademarked logo and images. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Freeman said, sent her a letter citing the in-stadium arrest as the basis for suspending her season pass and seat license privileges.

The Birdlady's fame in Atlanta, which included a proclamation from the city and having her image featured on a big Equifax billboard in the stadium, has taken a sharp turn for the worse. But Freeman vows to fight back and beat the charges. She has yet to secure a private attorney and has been represented by a public defender since her arrest.

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THE CRIMINAL CASE that caused Freeman's world to come crashing down involves a tailgate party ahead of a Sept. 22 prime-time game in Atlanta between the Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs. Two months before the game, Chiefs fans Tammy Southwood and Catherine Baskett-Cook contacted Freeman for help organizing an event for hundreds of fellow fans. Freeman responded with an array of ideas about services she could offer: A decorated event space, a tent, food and beverages, live entertainment, games, a projection screen broadcasting games, golf-cart shuttle service and a "surprise celebrity guest performance."

The two sides signed a contract, after which the Chiefs fans said they transferred $14,000 to Freeman incrementally through various payment providers. When game day arrived and Chiefs fans started gathering at the venue, there were no signs of Freeman or preparations for the tailgate aside from the presence of a few crew members standing by.

It was "basically a deserted lot surrounded by a neighborhood," said Blair Quasnitschka, who purchased tailgate tickets from Freeman. "There's other Chiefs fans there, obviously all through the same connection. But it's vacant."

Southwood and Baskett-Cook, who are both listed as witnesses in the court action against Freeman, cited an exchange of emails that stipulated preparations would begin around noon that day. But when the 3 p.m. start time arrived with hundreds of fans gathered, there was still no sign of Freeman or the party supplies.

Baskett-Cook said she phoned Freeman, who responded with a litany of excuses for why she was running late, including a broken trailer and a hospital stay the evening before the game because she had passed out trying to load the trailer. She said she had been stopped by police while heading to the venue.

Their description of Freeman's rapid-fire array of excuses resembled her responses during her ESPN interviews. Her responses were riddled with inconsistencies and difficult-to-follow meanderings.

Various tailgate organizers and ticket holders said they placed calls to Freeman, but they went straight to voicemail. Baskett-Cook said she spoke with Freeman multiple times that day, and each time, Freeman assured her that she was a half hour away. Just hang on.

"I just need to know when you're going to be here," Baskett-Cook recalled telling Freeman the last time they spoke, around 3:30 p.m. "Share your location, do whatever you need to do. You are under a contract."

Freeman didn't show. Ticket holders started demanding a refund.

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Baskett-Cook said she waited until 6 p.m. before leaving for the game and sending a message telling Freeman she was in breach of contract. During the first half, Baskett-Cook said she started receiving bizarre reports: Freeman was inside the stadium, in full "Birdlady" regalia.

Freeman acknowledged to ESPN that she did appear at the stadium, though she said it was late in the game. After listing the excuses for her tardiness, Freeman said she ultimately arrived at the tailgate, but it was after her clients had left.

She said frozen food and nonperishable items for the tailgate were stored at her house in Macon, Georgia. She sent ESPN photos of moldy, clearly expired food items that she said were purchased for the tailgate. The Chiefs fans were welcome to retrieve them whenever they liked. Or she could throw them another tailgate.

"They took [an arrest] warrant based on a lie, saying they had a contract," Freeman said. "They didn't have a contract."

She cited her friendship with Baskett-Cook as the reason she proceeded with the tailgate despite her assertion that the contract was canceled.

Because the amount exchanged between the tailgate organizers and Freeman totaled more than $1,500, it pushed the case over the legal threshold from small-claims to an alleged felony.

That's how the Birdlady, feathers and all, wound up leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium in handcuffs.

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This story is amazing. In typical Falcons fashion, they heavily promote a very obviously sham tailgate company just because it was owned by a skrong black woman. This franchise is retarded.