Takeru Kobayashi Freed After Major League Eating Arrest (Video)

by Amy Judd | July 5, 2010 at 08:08 am

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Takeru Kobayashi Pleaded Not Guilty After Being Arrested at the Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island on Sunday

Takeru Kobayashi, former hot dog eating champion, was apparently not allowed to take part in the hot dog eating contest this July 4 due to a contract dispute with the organizer Major League Eating, but that did not stop him storming the stage after Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut won. Chestnut ate 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Kobayashi jumped on to the stage wearing a t-shirt that said 'Free Kobi' and was quickly arrested, placed in handcuffs and taken away. ESPN reports that he spent the night in jail and pleaded not guilty on Monday morning to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Kobayashi said Monday that he'd gone there as a spectator, but fans began chanting for him. He says he went onstage "in the heat of it," hoping officials would let him participate.

The President of Major League Eating Richard Shea, told CBS's The Early Show on Monday that Kobayashi's actions were 'kind of unfortunate and maybe sad and certainly disruptive'.

"We had a four-hour celebration. I hate to see that get lost. It's part of the Fourth of July celebration holiday out there. We had a blast. We had four hours of entertainment. ... Then something happened at the very end to kind of sully it. So, that was kind of sad."

He said the contract dispute comes from the fact that their league is sponsored so contestants have to honor that.

"There aren't that many outside ventures," Shea added. "Major League Eating has had 85 events nationwide in the past year and almost $600,000 in prizes. I don't know where else you go."

Takeru Kobayashi Being Arrested on July 4 2010 Video: