Overview
- Ryan Kennedy filed the civil suit in Wayne County Circuit Court seeking $100 million in damages and court-ordered public retractions.
- Defendants include DK Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chad Johnson, Shay Shay Media, All Time Sports (The Volume), Ford Field Management and outlets cited for republishing the podcast claims.
- The complaint alleges Metcalf reached into the stands and grabbed Kennedy, and that false statements about racial and misogynistic slurs originated with Metcalf and spread via the Nightcap podcast.
- Kennedy says no audio or video corroborates the slur allegations and claims the viral narrative led to death threats and harm to his mortgage business.
- The NFL previously suspended Metcalf two games for the incident; as of these reports, the defendants had not publicly responded to the new lawsuit.