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A Michigan man has filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages after an altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf during a game at Ford Field in December 2025.
Ryan Kennedy filed the lawsuit in Wayne County Court on Feb. 3, according to The Detroit Free Press. Kennedy is also seeking a “full public retraction and correction of defamatory statements” from former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. He is represented by Detroit attorney Jon Marko of Marko Law.
Kennedy is suing Metcalf, the Steelers, Johnson, management at Ford Field and other media platforms responsible for “defamatory and life-altering statements” against him, according to the lawsuit.
Kennedy and Metcalf were involved in an altercation during the Lions-Steelers game Dec. 21 at Ford Field. A television broadcast showed video of Metcalf approaching Kennedy, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him away during the game’s second quarter. Metcalf was suspended for two games.
Kennedy told The Free Press the reaction came after he referred to Metcalf by his full name, but Johnson claimed Metcalf told him Kennedy used a racial slur against himself and his mother. The comment was shared on “Nightcap,” a podcast Johnson hosts with Sharpe. Kennedy held a press conference Dec. 26, during which he denied the use of any slurs.
The lawsuit, filed Feb. 3, lists two counts of defamation against Metcalf, Johnson and Shay Shay Media (owned by Sharpe), and one count of negligence against Ford Field, among others — according to The Free Press.
Kennedy is also suing Metcalf for assault and battery, and argues the fault partially rests with the Steelers and Ford Field.
Specifically, Kennedy writes Ford Field “breached its duty by failing to establish or enforce adequate barriers, protocols, or security measures to prevent players from reaching into the stands and making physical contact with patrons.”
