The NFL announced their decision regarding whether to punish Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams for an incident that occurred during a Monday Night Football game from the 2022 season.
Davante Adams shoved a photographer
Video captured Adams shoving a photographer following the Raiders’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Adams was frustrated walking off the field after his performance contributed to the loss. Per Wisconsin Sports Heroics, Adams apologized for shoving the cameraperson:
Davante Adams offered a half-hearted apology to the cameraman in the locker room. According to Frank Schwab of Yahoo.com, Adams said in an interview following the shove that he reacted in that way in part before the cameraman’s actions:
“Before I answer anything else, I want to apologize to the guy — some guy running off the field, and he ran, jumped in front of me when we’re coming off the field and I bumped into him, kind of pushed him and I think he ended up on the ground,” Adams said.
“I wanted to say sorry to him for that. That was frustration mixed with him running, literally running in front of me, and I shouldn’t have responded that way. But that’s how I initially responded so I want to apologize to him for that.”
Per an ESPN article, the Kansas City municipal court announced in June of 2023 that they were dropping an assault charge against Adams. However, the photographer brought a civil suit against Adams. The NFL continued its investigation into the incident.
The NFL announced its decision on the matter
According to Tom Pelissero with the NFL Network, the league chose not to punish Adams for the incident. The matter is now closed.
The league is setting a dangerous precedent
The NFL is setting a dangerous precedent for journalists and media members who cover their sport. At a time when articles come out almost weekly of domestic issues with members affiliated with the league, those running the sport have decided not to punish something we all saw on camera.
Furthermore, shoving the cameraman was something Adams admitted to on camera.
What’s to stop players from pushing people around on the sidelines in the future? The league has decided photographers covering their games are nothing more than punching bags on the sideline.
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