Steelers’ DK Metcalf will not face charges for December altercation with Lions fan

Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver DK Metcalf will not face criminal charges for grabbing and forcefully pushing a Detroit Lions fan during a Dec. 21 game at Ford Field, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. The 2020-21 Second-Team All-Pro was suspended two games without pay, which resulted in the voiding of $45 million in guarantees. The Black and Gold scraped by without him, and Metcalf rejoined the squad for the playoffs.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection had history with the fan, who is a longtime Lions season ticket-holder named Ryan Kennedy, and previously requested that the man be removed from a game involving Detroit and his former Seattle Seahawks. Metcalf claims that he was provoked by a racial slur as well as a derogatory comment about his mother. Kennedy vehemently denies the accusations, stating that he only called the 6-foot-4 WR by his full name, DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf.

He filed a $100 million lawsuit against the player for making defamatory statements. The media company that produces the “Nightcap” podcast with former NFL stars Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe is also named in the suit. During an episode, Johnson revealed Metcalf’s allegations and acted as if they were factual.

It remains to be seen how that case will be resolved, but Metcalf will no longer have to worry about Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. His attorney issued a statement following the news.

“We applaud the decision and are thankful for the hard work and thorough investigation that led to this just result,” Mitch Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster said, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“We are confident that justice will also prevail in the civil claim involving Mr. Kennedy. As Mr. Metcalf’s counterclaim in the civil case makes clear, Mr. Kennedy’s hate-fueled conduct has no place anywhere, and especially not in professional sports.”

Although the civil suit is ongoing, the Steelers obviously hope that the focus can return to the field.

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