DK Metcalf will miss the final two games of the regular season. Rick Osentoski / AP Photo
The actions of a Detroit Lions fan involved in an altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf on Sunday remain under review by the NFL, a league spokesperson told The Athletic on Wednesday.
A Lions spokesperson said on Sunday that the fan, Ryan Kennedy, was escorted from his seat during the game by team employees to collect more information, but he was not removed from the game. On Tuesday, the Lions spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic that the league would not take action against Kennedy, as the NFL Network first reported.
However, after receiving additional information during Metcalf’s appeal hearing, the league is reviewing the matter and “will be in touch” with the Lions to determine if Kennedy violated the guest code of conduct.
On Wednesday afternoon, attorneys from Head Murphy Law, the firm representing Kennedy, emailed a release to The Athletic and other media outlets announcing a press conference on Friday “regarding the assault of Ryan Kennedy by DK Metcalf and the false public allegations that he used racial or misogynistic slurs—allegations Mr. Kennedy categorically denies.”
The Lions fan involved in an altercation with DK Metcalf remains under review by the NFL to determine if he violated the guest code of conduct, a league spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic.
Here is a copy of the code of conduct: pic.twitter.com/SPjbRRbBWl
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) December 24, 2025
Metcalf was suspended for an altercation that occurred during the second quarter of the Steelers’ 29-24 victory over the Lions on Sunday. The CBS broadcast captured Metcalf exchanging words with a fan wearing a blue wig who was leaning over the railing in the stands behind the Steelers’ sideline. Metcalf grabbed the fan by his collar and then appeared to either push him away or take a swing at his head.
Metcalf appealed a two-game suspension handed down by the league, which the NFL upheld on Tuesday. Metcalf will forfeit more than $555,000 in salary and will miss the Steelers’ final two games of the regular season. He is eligible to return for the postseason, if the Steelers qualify.
