The incident quickly went viral after Metcalf, who previously reported a history with the fan, reached over the railing at Ford Field, grabbed him by the shirt collar and shoved him back. Metcalf was suspended two games without pay.
The individual at the center of a controversial incident involving Pittsburgh Steelers WR DK Metcalf last year is now suing him, NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson over the fallout.
In his suit, Ryan Kennedy, who is a fan of the Detroit Lions, is suing the three individuals, plus Sharpe and Johnson’s media company and others for $100 million, alleging he was defamed and characterized as a racist.
His lawyer, John Marko, says the suit is for defamation, negligence and other claims after Kennedy was “branded a racist by the national media” following a sideline incident last December where during an altercation with Metcalf, Metcalf reached over the railing, grabbed him by his shift and shoved him back. Many alleged that Metcalf reacted that way because Kennedy called him a racial slur, something Kennedy vehemently denies.
Metcalf was later suspended for the Steelers final two games of the regular season but returned for their playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The suspension cost him more than half a million dollars.
DK Metcalf appears to have an altercation with a Detroit fan pic.twitter.com/a478Zjg3tR
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 21, 2025
Kennedy says he called DK by his first name, Dekaylin and that is what set the NFL wide receiver off. He also says that Johnson and Sharpe made false allegations against him, leading to the lawsuit.
“The lawsuit alleges that Johnson, appearing on the widely-viewed ‘Nightcap’ podcast co-hosted by Shannon Sharpe, falsely claimed that Kennedy called Metcalf the ‘N-word’ and referred to Metcalf’s mother using a vile misogynistic slur—statements that Kennedy categorically denies and that no video or audio evidence supports,” a statement from Marko’s office read. He also alleges the accusations stated by Sharpe and Johnson spread throughout the national media and jeopardized Kennedy’s mortgage company and resulted in him receiving death threats.
“The false allegations, which were republished by major outlets including ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and USA Today, went viral across social media platforms with millions of views, branding Kennedy as a racist on a national scale and subjecting him to death threats, hate mail, and severe damage to his business reputation,” Marko added.
Kennedy is seeking a court-ordered public retraction from all defendants as well as damages.
Metcalf, when he played for the Seattle Seahawks, previously warned security about Kennedy.
