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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his support for wide receiver DK Metcalf before the star player’s two-game suspension for throwing a punch at a fan was upheld.
Tomlin did not elaborate on his reaction to seeing the clip, which showed Metcalf near the barrier between the Steelers bench and the stands. The CBS broadcast captured the interaction, which showed Metcalf putting on the fan’s shirt and taking a swing.
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches from the sideline during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025. (Mitch Stringer/Image Images)
The veteran coach on Tuesday acknowledged the “increasingly volatile rhetoric” in the sport.
“Not just (in) our business, (but) the university, the parents of youth athletes,” he said. “I think it’s just a component of the sport that has developed and developed greatly in recent years, and it’s unfortunate.”
It’s unclear what the fan, identified as Ryan Kennedy, said to Metcalf that sparked the altercation. Kennedy was accused of making a racist comment and saying a derogatory comment about the player’s mother. However, Kennedy vehemently denied the allegations in a statement through a law firm. The statement said no hate language was used.
Another report said that when Metcalf played for the Seattle Seahawks, he reported the fan to team staff when he was previously in Detroit.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ DK Metcalf wipes his face on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Río)
Tomlin didn’t speculate when asked if teams could do more to protect players in that situation.
“For me to talk about this and talk about it in detail and particularly express my opinion on things doesn’t help the circumstances in any way,” he said.
The NFL confirmed Metcalf’s suspension Tuesday night.
“The league said Metcalf violated league policy, which states that players may not enter the stands or confront fans at any time on game day and…if a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any manner that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held liable.”
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He will miss the team’s final two games of the season and leave a lot of money on the table.
