A Detroit Lions fan involved in an altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers player DK Metcalf has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the receiver and others, alleging he was assaulted and later defamed as a racist.
The lawsuit filed by Ryan Kennedy’s attorney Jonathan Marko names Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers, retired NFL player Chad Ochocinco Johnson, Shannon Sharpe’s company Shay Shay Media, podcast network The Volume and Ford Field as defendants. The litigation, first reported by The Metro Detroit News, was filed Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court.
During a Dec. 21 game between the Steelers and Lions in Detroit, cameras caught Metcalf reach into the stands and grab a man — identified as Kennedy from Pinckney, Mich. — by his shirt collar and then shove him away. According to a copy of the lawsuit posted online by TMDN, as a result of Metcalf’s actions, “Kennedy suffered physical injury, pain, emotional distress, fear, humiliation and public embarrassment,” his attorney wrote.
Subsequently, the lawsuit alleges Johnson made defamatory statements about Kennedy on the “Nightcap” podcast hosted by Sharpe, specifically that Kennedy used a racist slur toward Metcalf and a misogynistic slur in reference to Metcalf’s mother. Kennedy denied using any such slurs, and his lawsuit said no audio or video recordings support those claims.
In response to the podcast, “the defamatory statements were widely republished by numerous media outlets,” said the lawsuit, noting that no retractions or corrections were issues despite demands by Kennedy.
The lawsuit also alleges various liability and conspiracy claims against the defendants.