Week 16 turned ugly for former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. With his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Metcalf went over to a fan who had potentially been causing an issue, and the player grabbed the fan's shirt and appeared to either slap or punch the fan. Metcalf has now been suspended.
Metcalf reportedly had an issue with the fan before when the wide receiver played with the Seahawks. The player had reported the fan to Seattle officials, so it is unclear how the fan was still able to get tickets for an NFL game, and it is unclear what steps were followed after Metcalf's complaint.
No matter what, a player has to be able to rise above whatever fans are saying. That simply comes with the territory of being a professional football player. Fans are going to be fans, and that isn't always in a positive manner.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf suspended for two games
The incident occurred in the second quarter of the Steelers game with the Lions in Detroit. The wide receiver walked over to the fan (whose name we are withholding here, but can be found elsewhere) who was holding a No. 4 Pittsburgh jersey (Metcalf's number), words were exchanged, Metcalf reached up, and things got worse.
The player could have gone many other directions than taking matters into his own hands, especially if he already had a previous issue with the fan. DK Metcalf could have gone to a team official and asked them to take care of what was going on. Perhaps the fan might have been removed from the game.
According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the fan hurled a racial slur at the wide receiver and said something derogatory about the wide receiver's mother. That, of course, is unacceptable fan behavior, if that is what actually occurred, but a player has to understand the same thing likely happens to most involved in the NFL, and Metcalf needed to show more restraint.
As Seattle Seahawks fans know from watching DK Metcalf on the field in his first six seasons, his temper often gets the best of him on the field. He hadn't taken out his anger on a fan, though. He did in Week 16, and he deserves to be suspended for two games. That would be the end of the Steelers' regular season, but even then, the ban doesn't seem long enough.