As has been the case with nearly every major incident in the NFL this season, the plot continues to thicken with the DK Metcalf situation.
Early during his Pittsburgh Steelers' 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, Metcalf was caught having an altercation with a Lions fan in a blue wig.
At first, it seemed Metcalf was simply accosting the man and attempting to punch up and hit him in the face as the leaned over the railing. Different angles have changed perception, however.
The latest is one from further up in the stands, and it shows the fan, identified as Ryan Kennedy, going back to his seat saying, "That was the goal, folks!" Clearly, his intention was to provoke Metcalf into a reaction by saying something way out of line.
As DK Metcalf awaits the appeals hearing on his two-game suspension, a video of the aftermath of his altercation with a fan, who shouts as he returns to his seat: “That was the goal, folks!” Pic.twitter.com/8dYWqXpMFr
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 23, 2025
According to the star wideout, Kennedy not only called Metcalf's mother the c-word, he also called Metcalf himself the n-word.
As they say, them's fighting words. For some reason, some fans believe paying for a ticket allows them to verbally abuse anyone they want with no repercussions.
When it's revealed what these fans actually say to athletes to attempt to get under their skin, it makes one wonder whether fans should really have carte blanche to disrespect the athletes they've paid to come see.
Metcalf has a history with this fan, who admitted to provoking the WR
No matter how you look at it, Metcalf is expected to be able to resist the urge to get into an altercation there with a fan. Because of that expectation, the veteran WR was handed a surprisingly hefty two-game suspension.
However, there was always more to the story.
It was reported the day after the game that this wasn't just any fan. The man's name is Ryan Kennedy, and he had an incident with Metcalf just last year as well.
When Metcalf's Seattle Seahawks visited the Lions last season, the wideout didn't get into a scrap with Kennedy, but he did report him to stadium authorities. It turns out that didn't result in any kind of ban, because Kennedy was in the stands for Metcalf's return to Detroit this season.
As Cam Newton and others have said this week, perhaps it's time the league starts focusing more on protecting their players from this kind of abuse rather than punishing them for reasonably reacting to such disgusting words.