During the Week 16 game between the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver DK Metcalf had an ugly interaction with a Lions fan.
The incident happened in the second quarter and saw Metcalf grab the shirt of the Lions fan before the Steelers wideout appeared to throw a punch at him.
The whole interaction was caught by CBS cameras, but officials did not see it go down, so Metcalf was not flagged or ejected from the game for the infraction.
“There was no flag on the field, so New York cannot weigh in with regard to a potential disqualification,” the NFL said in the statement.
As far as what led to the interaction is concerned, we have conflicting statements from Metcalf and the fan.
According to Andrew Birkle and Christian Romo of the Detroit Free Press, the fan said Metcalf was mad at him because he called the Steelers wideout by his full name, DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf.
"He doesn’t like his government name. I called him that and then he grabbed me and ripped my shirt. I’m a little shocked. Like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby," the fan stated.
However, former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson said Metcalf told him directly that the Lions fan called the Steelers wide receiver a racial slur, and he called Metcalf's mom the C-word.
"He did call him a racial slur," the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver said on the Nightcap podcast. "He called him the N-word and he did call his mom a (C-word). And I think those words being exchanged and the fan saying that, I think that's where the action occurred where I think he threw a punch. I'm not sure if he connected or whatever. But he did call him the N-word and he called his mama, I guess the C-word."
Johnson went on to say that he heard that straight from Metcalf, while also noting he did not condone what Metcalf did.
"I'm not condoning DK touching the fans," Johnson added. "You can't touch the fans. Based on what I was told from a reliable source who wears No. 4 (Metcalf), that's what it was."
The NFL is going to investigate what happened and Metcalf is likely to face a significant punishment that could include a suspension.
That would be terrible news for the Steelers, who desperately need Metcalf on the field for the stretch run of the season as Pittsburgh tries to lock up the division.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that they are just one win or one Ravens loss away from accomplishing that feat, so they could overcome Metcalf's absence if he does indeed get suspended.
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