Steelers receiver DK Metcalf gets involved in altercation with fan in Detroit
Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaka break down the incident between DK Metcalf and a Lions fan during the Pittsburgh-Detroit game.
Ryan Kennedy, the Detroit Lions fan who was shoved by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf during an altercation at the NFL game on Dec. 21, has filed a new lawsuit in Wayne County Court seeking $100 million in damages.
Kennedy’s lawsuit was filed on February 3, according to the USA Today Network’s Detroit Free Press. The lawsuit names Metcalf, the Steelers, former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, Ford Field management, and several media platforms for allegedly making “defamatory and life-altering statements” about Metcalf after the incident.
The complaint lists a total of nine counts. Those include two counts of defamation against Metcalf, Johnson and Shannon Sharpe’s company, Shea Shae Media, and one count of negligence against Ford Field.
Kennedy is also suing Metcalf for assault and battery and accusing both the Steelers and Ford Field management of being responsible for the incident.
“Defendant Ford Field Management LLC breached its duties by failing to establish or enforce appropriate barriers, protocols, or safety measures to prevent players from reaching into the stands and making physical contact with spectators,” the complaint states.
The altercation between Kennedy and Metcalf occurred during the second quarter of a game between the Detroit Lions and the Steelers on Dec. 21. Metcalf was suspended for two games for the incident, in which he punched Kennedy after a brief conversation between the two.
The Detroit Free Press interviewed Kennedy on the day of the incident. At the time, he told the media that he called Metcalf by his full name, “Decalin Zecharius Metcalf,” which angered the wide receiver.
“He doesn’t like the name of his government,” Kennedy said. “I called him and he grabbed me and tore my shirt off. I’m kind of shocked, like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little upset, but I just want the Lions to win, baby.”
But on Sharpe and Johnson’s “Nightcap” podcast, published Dec. 22, Johnson relayed that Metcalf said Kennedy used a racial slur against Metcalf and a misogynistic slur directed at the wide receiver’s mother.
President Kennedy categorically denied these allegations in a December 26 press conference regarding the incident.
“I want to make one thing clear: I did not use any racial slurs or hate speech during the game,” Kennedy said. “Actually, never. In my 15 years as a Lions season ticket holder, that has never happened.”
Kennedy, who is represented by John Marko, continues to deny the allegations in the lawsuit.
“The statements were false and reckless,” the complaint says. “Plaintiff Kennedy did not call Defendant Metcalf the ‘N-word,’ nor did he call Defendant Metcalf’s mother the ‘C—,’ and did not use any racial slurs or hate speech whatsoever… Defendant Metcalf provided false information to Defendant Johnson about what Plaintiff Kennedy allegedly said, thereby inciting and authorizing the publication of defamatory and reckless statements intended to harm Plaintiff Kennedy.” ”
In addition to seeking $100 million in damages, Kennedy is also seeking “a complete public retraction and correction of the defamatory statements” from Johnson and Sharpe.
