12/22/25 03:19:00
Printable Page
12/22 15:18 CST Fan denies using racial slur in heated exchange with Steelers'
DK Metcalf
Fan denies using racial slur in heated exchange with Steelers' DK Metcalf
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- A Detroit Lions fan who Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
DK Metcalf punched at during a game between the teams has denied allegations he
used a racial slur in a statement released by his lawyers Monday.
A law firm representing Ryan Kennedy said in a statement released to The
Associated Press on Monday that Kennedy "categorically denies" using a slur or
any other derogatory statement during the exchange with Metcalf that ended with
the two-time Pro Bowler taking a swing at Kennedy with his right arm.
CBS cameras caught Metcalf and Kennedy --- wearing a blue wig and a blue and
black shirt --- in a heated back-and-forth along the rail in the second quarter
of Pittsburgh's 29-24 victory.
Kennedy leaned over the railing and appeared to shout at the receiver as he
walked over, and Metcalf reached up and grabbed him with his right arm. The
interaction ended with Metcalf jabbing toward the fan's head with that arm,
though he didn't appear to make much, if any, contact.
Metcalf remained in the game, finishing with four catches for 42 yards
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said on Sunday that he "heard about" the exchange
but didn't see it and at that point hadn't had an opportunity to discuss it
with Metcalf, who was unavailable to reporters afterward and did not appear at
his locker on Monday during the club's 45-minute media availability.
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said during a podcast he co-hosts with
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe that Metcalf told him the fan used a
racial slur and disparaged Metcalf's mother.
The statement released by Shawn Head and Sean Murphy of Head Murphy Law Firm
called the allegations "completely false."
"At no point before, during or after the incident did Mr. Kennedy use racial
slurs or hate speech of any kind," the statement read. "The claims suggesting
otherwise are untrue and not supported by video evidence, eyewitness accounts
or any contemporaneous reporting."
The statement said Kennedy would have no further comment because "this matter
will now likely be the subject of formal legal proceedings."
The statement added that Kennedy, who told The Detroit Free Press he is from
Pinckney, Michigan, about an hour west of Ford Field, has been subjected to
"harassment, threats and messages advocating violence" in the aftermath.
Kennedy told the newspaper that Metcalf ripped his shirt during the incident.
Kennedy also told the Free Press that he was calling Metcalf by his given name,
DeKaylin.
The NFL is looking into the matter. It's unclear whether law enforcement has
been contacted.
The incident is hardly the first between a professional athlete and a fan
during a live sporting event.
The exchange between Metcalf and the fan came five months after Pittsburgh
Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana was suspended and fined by Major League
Baseball following a confrontation with a fan at a game between the Pirates and
the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, which is a block down from Ford Field.
The most notorious incident between players and fans came in 2004 when several
members of the Indiana Pacers --- including guard Ron Artest (now known as
Metta World Peace) --- fought fans inside the now-demolished Palace in a game
between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons in what is known universally as "
The Malice at the Palace."
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
|
