Why wasn’t Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf ejected after swatting a Detroit Lions fan in the face on Sunday at Ford Field? There’s an answer from the NFL.
According to the league, no flag being thrown during the altercation made it impossible for New York headquarters to intervene with a disqualification decision.
“There was no flag on the field, so New York cannot weigh in with regard to a potential disqualification,” a statement from the NFL read.
The Lions fan in question apparently used Metcalf’s full name in addressing him in the stands, but NFL veteran Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson alleged the fan directed racist and offensive language at Metcalf.
Statement from the NFL on the situation involving Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf, who threw a close-fisted punch at a fan sitting near the front row.
“There was no flag on the field, so New York cannot weigh in with regard to a potential disqualification.”
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) December 21, 2025
This whole situation is awful, and would be even worse if the fan in question actually used that kind of horrible language toward Metcalf.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why DK Metcalf wasn’t ejected after Lions fan punch, per NFL
