Ryan Kennedy, the Detroit Lions fan allegedly grabbed by Stealers wide receiver DK Metcalf last year, has filed a $100 million defamation suit against Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson.
In December of last year, DK Metcalf, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was suspended for two games after he engaged in “conduct detrimental to the NFL for initiating a physical confrontation with a fan.” Metcalf claimed that Ryan Kennedy used a racial slur, which Kennedy vehemently denied. According to Sports Illustrated, Kennedy filed suit against former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson’s media company along with Shannon Sharpe for making disparaging remarks about Kennedy on the Nightcap podcast. The lawsuit also includes DK Metcalf and others.
“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,” Jon Marko, Kennedy’s attorney, said in a statement.
Marko said the accusations against Kennedy were false and caused significant damage to his reputation and mortgage company.
“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,” added Marko.
Following the incident at Ford Field, Kennedy held a press conference with his attorney Sean Head, who said that his client suffered severe reputational harm.
“After the assault, false accusations of racism and racial slurs were made publicly. As a result, Ryan Kennedy and his family have received threats. They’ve been harassed. And his business has been damaged,” said Head. “We’ve reached out to DK Metcalf’s representatives. We’ve asked that those false accusations be corrected. As of this morning, we have not received a response. Mr. Metcalf does have the ability to explain what was not said.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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