The two-game suspension given to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf was upheld by commissioner designee Chris Palmer, the league announced Tuesday.
The standout pass-catcher swiped at a fan during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. He’ll miss the Steelers’ final two regular-season contests as a result of his appeal being denied.
Ryan Kennedy, the Lions fan involved in the altercation, denied hurling derogatory language toward the wideout. Prior reports indicated that the two-time Pro Bowler had previously reported Kennedy to Seattle Seahawks officials when he was a member of the team.
Metcalf will forfeit $555,556 in salary. The suspension also voids $45 million in future guarantees, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Neither the NFL nor the Lions will take action against Kennedy because he didn’t violate the fan code of conduct, a source told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he spoke with Metcalf about the incident but declined to give his opinion on the situation. He did acknowledge a rise in “volatile rhetoric” at multiple levels of sports.
“He did explain to me why he did what he did. And I certainly don’t condone the behavior, but I support DK,” Tomlin said.
In Pittsburgh’s next two outings, the team will lean on a receiving corps that features Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Roman Wilson. Tight ends Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington could also see an uptick in targets.
The Steelers need to win one of their final two games or have the Ravens lose one of their two remaining contests to clinch the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
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