There was a highly-publicized incident at Ford Field during a game between the host Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers involving Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf and a fan named Ryan Kennedy.
Video showed Metcalf walking over to Kennedy and grabbed his shirt before shoving him away; Kennedy was later accused of having hurled racial epithets at Metcalf, which he emphatically denied.
Now, Kennedy has filed a $100 million lawsuit saying that not only was he physically harmed, but falsely accused of making racist remarks toward Metcalf. Named in the lawsuit are Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ford Field Management LLC, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Shay Shay Media LLC, and All Time Sports LLC.
“The statements were false and reckless,” the lawsuit reads. “Plaintiff Kennedy did not call Defendant Metcalf the ‘N-word’; did not call Defendant Metcalf mother a ‘c—‘; and did not ever use any racial slurs or hate speech whatsoever … Defendant Metcalf provided false information to Defendant Johnson about what Plaintiff Kennedy allegedly said, thereby instigating and authorizing the publication of the defamatory and reckless statements which were intended to harm Plaintiff Kennedy.”
Ford Field was included in the lawsuit for failure to have adequate barriers between fans and the players that would have prevented such an incident.
“Defendant Ford Field Management, LLC breached its duty by failing to establish or enforce adequate barriers, protocols, or security measures to prevent players from reaching into the stands and making physical contact with patrons,” the lawsuit reads.
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Detroit Lions Fan Ryan Kennedy Was The Center Of A Viral Incident In December With Steelers’ DK Metcalf
After the incident, Kennedy and his lawyers held a press conference in which he firmly denied any accusations of having used hateful speech against Metcalf.
“I didn’t use any racial slurs, no hate speech, none of that stuff at the game,” he said. “Fifteen years, season ticket holder for the Lions, I’ve never done that at all.”
He then made a personal appeal to Metcalf, asking him to state publicly that no such hateful remarks were ever made.
“DeKaylin, if you’re watching this, man, if you could just say that, please. My family is getting threats, and it’s not cool, so whether you said that or not, I’m sure you didn’t want that to happen to the family. Even if you did, I forgive you, man,” he said.
Attorneys For Ryan Kennedy Presented Their Side Of The Story
Shawn Head, one of the attorneys for Kennedy, told their version of the events.
“He (Kennedy) knows what the rules are, and he stays within them. He doesn’t use profanity, he doesn’t use any racially-motivated hate speech, and none of that occurred,” Head said.
“Cheering from the stands to professional athletes is to be expected. That is commonplace,” he continued. “That’s probably happened since the history of sporting events. But, again, what’s unusual here is a professional athlete coming into the stands, making contact with a spectator, and then the false accusations that resulted sometime after that.”
Metcalf was suspended by the NFL for two games without pay after the incident.
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