In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions, DK Metcalf ignored the league’s policy for unnecessary physical contact with a fan. Consequently, the NFL was quick to give a verdict: a two-game suspension without pay. However, another clause could’ve nullified the wide receiver’s pending salary for this season and millions in future guarantees, if the team chose to do so. But as FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer reported, the Steelers made a different call.

“Because he got suspended, the Steelers could have basically taken back all of his guarantees,” Glazer noted during FOX NFL Kickoff. “They, however, have decided not to do that. They kinda want to make a long-term commitment to DK Metcalf, even in situations like this.”

The NFL’s decision on Metcalf’s presence in the team’s final two games came on the Monday following the Week 16 weekend game. Since he is quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ primary wide receiver, and wanted to help the team continue their lead at the top of the AFC North, Metcalf announced that he would appeal the decision. The appeal clearly did not stand, as Metcalf did not suit up for the Steelers’ game against the Cleveland Browns.

The suspension itself will cost Metcalf around $555,556 in game checks for the final two regular-season games. If the Steelers had voided his guarantees, he would’ve also missed $25 million fully guaranteed for 2026, and $20 million in injury guarantees, according to his four-year, $132 million extension he signed after his trade from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. It came with $60 million in guarantees. And the Steelers’ decision not to wipe away the guarantees is understandable.

In one season with the team, the two-time Pro Bowler has become the spine of the WR corps. Starting all 15 games of the season, he leads the Steelers’ wide receivers with 59 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns.

But what exactly did Metcalf do?

The incident occurred late in the second quarter when the Steelers’ cornerback Brandon Echols was getting medical attention on the field. A Lions fan wearing a blue wig said something to Metcalf standing near the front row of the stands. The next thing you know was the Steelers’ No. 4 grabbing him by the shirt collar and sending a hook on the fan’s way.

After the game, The Detroit Free Press talked to the fan who identified himself as Ryan Kennedy and reasoned that all he did was call Metcalf by his full name.

While there was no harmful contact to the fan, the league prohibits any conduct by players “detrimental to the integrity and public confidence in” the NFL. Neither the fan nor Metcalf was removed from the game. For the latter, the decision did not come since the referees did not flag the incident. Moreover, the league cannot request referees to take action in an ongoing game. As it turns out, though, the incident did not happen out of the blue.

According to reports, Kennedy and Metcalf have a history.

The fan’s role in Metcalf’s pattern of drawing penalties

After the Week 16 incident, reports made rounds about Metcalf having previously complained to Seahawks security about Kennedy last season. Then, the WR was with Seattle during their Week 4 game against the Lions last season. Metcalf requested the fan be removed at the time.

This season, Kennedy, who brought a No. 4 Steelers jersey in his hands, allegedly called Metcalf’s mother a derogatory word and called Metcalf “something we both know you don’t call a Black man,” as per a source close to the WR.

For now, Kennedy and his attorneys have denied everything about this latest incident. No racial slurs, no hate. They even said that the allegations caused “real damage.” Ford Field security interviewed Kennedy immediately and cleared him to stay for the rest of the game. That’s two sides of the same story. Meanwhile, the gesture wasn’t exactly new for Metcalf.

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The 28-year-old has attracted many unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before. Just look at this season:

• In Week 13, he was fined $14,491 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• In Week 8, he was fined $12,172 for “striking/kicking/kneeing” after he poked his finger in the facemask of Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker.
• In his seven-year NFL career, he’s had a total of 34 accepted penalties to his name, with at least one unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness in most of the seasons.

While the Steelers can see the demerits, they are keeping their mentality as a glass-half-full approach. In fact, his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was in support of Metcalf after the incident.

Aaron Rodgers steps up for DK Metcalf

Following DK Metcalf’s suspension, a host of criticism erupted for the wide receiver. However, Aaron Rodgers, who knows a thing or two about similar reactions, wasn’t staying quiet. The veteran Steelers quarterback addressed the incident head-on during a press conference on December 24.

“I think there’s a mindset that you pay for a ticket, you say whatever the hell you want,” Rodgers said. “I think there should be some sort of code of conduct. Obviously, that was intentional, and I think there was some celebration afterward on his part. Obviously don’t condone what DK did.

“I understand, there have been a lot of crazy comments said my way over the years. The truth is that would never happen face-to-face. There are two sides to every story. I support DK. I’ll continue to support DK. As you’re seeing parts of society erode, maybe the conduct has changed over the years.”

That’s your quarterback having your back when it matters the most. And he is right. After the WR ‘punched’ Kennedy, the latter threw his hands in the air as if to celebrate what had just occurred.

Even head coach Mike Tomlin spoke in favor of Metcalf, noting that the WR had explained the reason behind his behavior to the head coach. “I certainly don’t condone the behavior. But I support DK.”

Moving forward, Pittsburgh will play crucial season-ending games without its top receiver.