In what may be a first, the NFL is disputing a report from the NFL-owned and operated media outlet.
On Tuesday evening, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that “the NFL and the Lions will not take any action against the fan involved in the altercation with Steelers WR DK Metcalf on Sunday in Detroit because “there was no violation of the fan code of conduct,” according to the source.
On Wednesday morning, the NFL said otherwise.
“The report on fans and discipline was not accurate,” the NFL spokesperson told PFT via email. “The matter remains under investigation and the league is following up with the club.”
Ford Field’s guest code of conduct prohibits, among other things, “the use of foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.”
It’s unclear why or how Pelissero got back on his skis in this one. Maybe the imminent possibility of defamation lawsuit based on the report that the fan directed an insult at Metcalf and a derogatory comment about Metcalf’s mother prompted Pelissero to throw the fan a bone.
Either way, the bone was missing. And the NFL, which would bear its own responsibility for the report regarding the slurs and downplayed “C-words” if the claims about the fan prove true, has publicly stated that its internal media conglomerate’s reports were erroneous.
