In last Sunday’s game between the Steelers and the Lions, cameras caught an interaction between a fan and Steelers’ WR, DK Metcalf. There was no audio, but there is “clear and obvious video evidence” that Metcalf took a swipe at the fan; it is not clear if Metcalf actually made contact there, but he clearly intended to do so.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the NFL has a policy in place to deal with an incident of this type and again unsurprisingly, the policy leans 180 degrees away from the player in such a situation. The league in no way wants its games to turn into riots involving fans. Citing that policy, the league has suspended Metcalf for the last two games of the season; he will be eligible to return to the field in the playoffs if the Steelers make there.
The lack of audio is confounding here. There is an allegation that the fan called Metcalf’s mother a slur and referred to Metcalf with a different slur. The fan denied that in an interview with the Detroit Free Press saying he referred to Metcalf by his full legal name. [Aside: According to Wikipedia, Metcalf’s full legal name is “DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf”. From my perspective, it is difficult to imagine that name and the possible slurs to be misunderstood one for the other.]
From the NFL position, the action here is understandable. Here is part of the statement issued by the league as it announced the suspension:
“Metcalf’s actions violate league policy, which specifies that ‘players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day.’
“‘If a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues, he will be held accountable.'”
Even the most rabid Steelers’ fan must agree with the intent of that policy and should grudgingly agree that Metcalf’s swipe at the fan makes him a malefactor in the situation. He may indeed have been goaded into the confrontation, but the “punch” caught on camera cannot be justified.
Metcalf will appeal the suspension through the channels specified in the exiting CBA between the league and the players’ union. Perhaps that appeal might reduce the suspension from two games to one game, but I would be surprised if it erased the entire punishment.
Another angle to this comes from reporting by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network who says that Metcalf and the fan in question have a history dating back to Metcalf’s time with the Seattle Seahawks. At what point might this matter morph into some sort of “stalking situation”?
And of course, there is a financial dimension to all this. CBSSports.com says that Metcalf’s loss of two game checks will cost him “more than $555K” – – and it gets worse. According to the source his contract guarantees $45M over the next two seasons BUT:
“His four-year, $132 million contract from March, reviewed by CBS Sports, notes that if he ‘fails… to practice or play with the Club for any reason,’ which includes ‘Player’s suspension by the NFL or Club for Conduct Detrimental,’ his guarantees ‘will be NULL AND VOID.’”
Metcalf can still earn that salary level over the next seasons, but the guarantee would seem to be off the table unless the entire suspension is overturned on appeal.
The Steelers’ playoff picture is very simple; if they win either of their last two games, they are in the playoffs. Or, if the Ravens lose one of their two last games, the Steelers are in the playoffs. There are no other possibilities. Metcalf is an important cog in the Steelers’ offense; so, his absence will be felt by the rest of the organization.
Moving on … It appears as if the Kansas City Chiefs will be moving out of Kansas City on the Missouri side and into Kansas City on the Kansas side as of 2031. The Kansas Legislature has passed an authorization to issue bonds to pay a portion of the cost for a new stadium on the Kansas side and the voters in Missouri voted down a bond issue that would have renovated Arrowhead Stadium and built a new home for the KC Royals.
I never like the idea of taxpayers funding stadiums for owners, and I have reconciled the fact that such concessions by legislators are necessary either to attract teams to an area or to keep them from leaving one city to go to another one.
Finally, this comment from the Chinese military leader, Sun Tzu seems appropriate for today:
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………