As if the Buffalo Bills' overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles wasn't bad enough, their situation got even uglier due to events off the field of play.
While the Buffalo offense was on the field, Bills defensive linemen were seen on video approaching and getting into a confrontation with an Eagles fan in the front row. In the video, Jordan Phillips approached the fan while yelling, Shaq Lawson lightly shoved the fan and others approached before Leonard Floyd helped break up the incident.
The video soon went viral, garnering thousands of views on social media.
On Monday, both players responded to the confrontation with lengthy posts on Instagram. Notably, both claimed that the fans they were sparring with "crossed a line" by making threats towards them and their loved ones.
"I love the crowd I love rowdy fans it makes the game fun," Phillips said. "But one thing I’m not going to tolerate is someone threatening me or my family. This is a line that shouldn’t be crossed."
Lawson, who has set his Instagram page to private, went into more detail on the incident. The former first-round pick claimed that the heckling started before kickoff, and despite players asking security to remove the fan in question, the situation escalated before ultimately blowing up at the end of the game.
"Those of you who know me know that I'm all about the fans, and I have a lot of respect for the game I play and my opponents," Lawson said, per ESPN. "Before the game started yesterday, there was a fan behind our bench, who was making life threatening remarks towards us and our families. We asked Philadelphia security to remove the fan, but he was allowed to stay for the entire game. Eventually, our emotions boiled over, and I made a mistake. For that, I apologize, but there are certain lines that should not be crossed."
It remains to be seen if any players involved in the confrontation will face discipline from the league, but regardless, it's not a good look for the team. At the same time, no one should have threats made towards them over a football game, as Phillips and Lawson claimed to have had.
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