DK Metcalf has already lost $555,556 in game salary and $45 million in future guaranteed money from the two-game suspension he received for punching Detroit Lions fan Ryan Kennedy in Week 16. Over a month later, the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver is facing the threat of even more potential financial loss after Kennedy filed a lawsuit.
Kennedy filed a $100 million lawsuit against Metcalf, the Steelers and the media company that produces Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson’s “Nightcap podcast,” FOX 2 Detroit reported on Tuesday. The suit accuses Metcalf of assault and battery and Pittsburgh of liability, while accusing Sharpe and Johnson of defamation and negligence.
Kennedy’s accusations against Metcalf and the Steelers stem from the incident itself, in which the receiver walked over to the railing, grabbed Kennedy’s shirt and hit him in the face. Metcalf claimed he reacted to being called a racial slur, an accusation Kennedy declined.
Kennedy instead claims Metcalf reacted to being called by his first name, DeKaylin. Kennedy’s nephew claimed on Facebook that his uncle has been calling Metcalf by his first name for years.
The racial allegations went a step further when Sharpe and Johnson discussed the incident on their podcast and bashed Kennedy for the supposed actions. In his lawsuit, the Lions fan claims Sharpe and Johnson’s brash comments, which he insists are inaccurate, have “damaged his reputation,” hurt his mortgage company and led to death threats.
Kennedy believes that Sharpe and Johnson’s comments led to him being portrayed as a racist by national media outlets. He is seeking court-ordered public retractions, according to the FOX report.
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