Davante Adams, Raiders sued by pushed photographer after Week 5 loss
A photographer has filed suit against Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams for shoving him to the ground following his team’s Week 5 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
The photographer, Park Zebley, who was freelancing for ESPN at the time, alleges that he suffered whiplash, headaches and a minor concussion due to Adams’ shove.
Although Adams received a misdemeanor assault charge for the incident, according to Zebley, that’s not enough. On top of suing the receiver, the photographer also named the Raiders, the Chiefs, Jackson Sports Complex Authority and Landmark Event Staffing Services as defendants in the suit.
“A municipal misdemeanor battery charge is not sufficient,” Zebley told the Kansas City Star. “I’m looking for justice. You can’t shove someone down and walk off like it didn’t happen. Not in real life.”
On top of suing Adams for battery, the other defendants are now sued for vicarious liability and ratification and one count of negligent supervision for their “failure” to provide sufficient security on the field.
“In the days that followed, media and various fans of the Las Vegas Raiders and Adams discovered his identity, circulated his contact information, and made death threats against him, as well as other generally vile comments,” the lawsuit reads. “He felt concerned for his own safety and sought counseling and stayed away from his apartment.”
Naturally, Zebley is looking for compensation for the pain and anguish suffered by both the shove and the residual trauma caused by his identity leaking and the threats made against him.
“We’re in the beginning stages of this, but he is looking for compensation for what happened to him, and if a jury has to decide, then that’s who’ll decide,” Zebley’s lawyer Dan Curry wrote in the statement.
Adams: ‘It was just an instance’
Adams apologized for the incident on Twitter shortly after the game but later deleted the post.
“Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game,” Adams initially wrote. “Obviously (I was) very frustrated at the way the game ended and when he ran in front of me as I exited, that was my reaction and I felt horrible immediately.”
Adams discussed the incident with reporters in advance of the lawsuit going public.
“I mean, I wouldn’t look at the KC incident as something that – I don’t want to say I didn’t learn from it because that makes it sound like I’m not remorseful and stuff like that — but it was just an instance,” Adams said, via the Athletic. “It’s not something that I needed that to happen for me to know that was not the right thing to do. So, it was just something that happened.”