Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf during a game against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 22, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The NFL competition has proposed a rule change that might have seen Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf get ejected from his team’s game against the Detroit Lions last year.
The competition committee put forward five potential rule changes and three bylaw changes on Tuesday. Those changes will be voted on by the NFL owners at their annual meeting in Phoenix next week.
One of the five rule changes would allow the NFL league office to consult with on-field officials about potential ejections for flagrant football or non-football actions, whether or not the play was flagged by the officials. Currently, the league office can only consult on plays where a flag is thrown by the on-field officiating staff.
Metcalf shoved Lions fan Ryan Kennedy in the first half of a game between the Steelers and Lions on Dec. 21, after Kennedy had been heckling Metcalf.
The was not noticed by on-field officials at the time, despite being caught by TV cameras. Metcalf was allowed to finish the game before being handed a two-game suspension.
If this rule change passes through the competition committee, Metcalf could have been ejected after the league office reviewed the television footage.
Metcalf was suspended for the final two games of the regular season for the incident, forfeiting over $550,000 in salary. He appealed that suspension to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but his appeal was denied. The Steelers could have chosen to void his future guaranteed salary, but declined to do so.
Kennedy has field a lawsuit, naming the Metcalf, the Steelers, Lions and Ford Field as defendants, and is seeking $100 million in damages, alleging assault and defamation. As of February, Detroit Police were still investigating the incident, but no criminal charges have been filed.
Mentioned In This Article: DK Metcalf NFL Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers