Steelers WR DK Metcalf Will Not Face Criminal Charges For December Incident

According to Brooke Pryor, Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf will not face criminal charges stemming from his altercation with a Lions fan during their game at Ford Field in December. 

Metcalf’s attorney issued the following statement: “The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has declined to bring charges against DeKaylin Metcalf related to the incident involving Ryan Kennedy on December 21, 2025. We applaud the decision and are thankful for the hard work and thorough investigation that led to this just result. We are confident that justice will also prevail in the civil claim involving Mr. Kennedy. As Mr. Metcalf’s counterclaim in the civil case makes clear, Mr. Kennedy’s hate-fueled conduct has no place anywhere, and especially not in professional sports,” per Adam Schefter. 

Metcalf’s two-game suspension was upheld by an appeals officer jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA back in December.  It resulted in voiding $45 million in future guarantees on Metcalf’s contract, including $25 million that was fully guaranteed for 2026.

He missed Pittsburgh’s final two regular-season games due to the incident that took place with a fan in Detroit. The league specifically suspended Metcalf for conduct detrimental to the league. He lost over $555,000 in game checks.

Metcalf was seen during the game going over a fan in the stands and appeared to grab his shirt before taking a swipe at him. Metcalf allegedly reported the same fan to security in Detroit the previous season when he played for the Seahawks. 

Metcalf, 27, is a former second-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. Seattle traded up to select him and exchanged the No. 77 and No. 118 picks for him.

He signed a four-year, $4,586,054 rookie contract, including a $1,355,312 signing bonus with the Seahawks, and was set to earn a base salary of $3,986,000 in 2022 when he signed a three-year, $72 million extension.

Metcalf was due base salaries of $13 million and $18 million in the final two years of the deal when he restructured his contract in 2024. He’s set to make a base salary of $18 million in 2024 and was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Seattle traded Metcalf to Pittsburgh with a sixth-round pick this past offseason for a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick and then signed him to a four-year, $132 million extension through 2029. 

In 2025, Metcalf has appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and caught 59 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns.