Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — During his media availability on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gave his input on DK Metcalf’s two-game suspension for getting into an altercation with a fan at Ford Field during the team’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
While the Steelers were on defense in the second quarter, Metcalf got into it with the fan, who was in the front row. Metcalf grabbed the fan by his shirt and swiped at him. He didn’t hit him directly, but there was some contact.
Rodgers doesn’t condone what Metcalf did, but he thinks there should be a stricter code of conduct for fans.
“I think there’s a mindset that you pay for a ticket, you can say whatever the hell you want,” Rodgers said. “I think there should be some sort of code of conduct. Obviously that was intentional, and I think there was some celebration afterward on his part. Obviously don’t condone what DK did, but I understand. There’s been a lot of crazy comments said my way over the years. The truth is that would never happen face to face. There’s two sides to every story. I support DK, I’ll continue to support DK.”
The NFL and the Lions are still investigating whether or not they will take any action against Lions fan Ryan Kennedy for inciting the incident between Metcalf, according to a report by NFL Network. Kennedy was spotted bragging after he provoked Metcalf.
Rodgers thinks the rise of gambling, fantasy football and social media has changed fan behavior. There’s some positives to those aspects, but there’s also a detrimental effect.
“A lot of that stuff is really good for the sport. Now, at the same time, as you’re seeing parts of society erode, maybe the conduct has changed over the years,” Rodgers said.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has also noticed an increase in vile behavior from fans, not just in the NFL, but around sports.
“I just think volatile rhetoric is a component of our business today, unfortunately,” he said. “It just is. But not only our business, college, youth sport parents, it’s just a component of sport that’s developed and developed in a big way in recent years and it’s unfortunate.”
Metcalf and Kennedy reportedly had history before Sunday’s altercation, and reported Kennedy to Ford Field security during a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Lions in 2024. It’s not clear what Metcalf alleged Kennedy of doing at that time, but the Lions did not take any action against him then or prevent him from being at Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Metcalf has not spoken publicly since the incident, but several reports from individuals that say they have spoken to Metcalf allege that Kennedy used a racial slur, which would violate the NFL’s fan conduct policy.
Kennedy, in a statement through an attorney, vehemently denied having done so, and the NFL’s lack of action suggests that the league was unable to corroborate Metcalf’s claim:
“Ryan Kennedy categorically denies...
