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.”
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