NFL decides Davante Adams won't face discipline for pushing photographer in 2022, per report
The NFL has decided not to punish Raiders receiver Davante Adams for pushing a photographer after a loss at Arrowhead Stadium two years ago.
This is according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero didn’t identify his sources, saying only that they were within the league. Prosecutors in Kansas City decided last summer not to prosecute the Raiders superstar for assault.
The incident happened in October, 2022. The Raiders and Chiefs have an intense rivalry. Adams, who’d spent most of his career with the Packers, was experiencing the rivalry for the first time at Arrowhead Stadium. And the Raiders lost the game, 30-29, on Monday Night Football.
Park Zebley, a freelance photographer who was working for ESPN, claimed Adams shoved him out of the way as the receiver walked to the locker room. Zebley, who was 20 when the shove happened, said he experienced whiplash and headaches after the incident. He also told reporters it was his first day on the job.
Davante Adams knew immediately that he’d crossed the line. He posted on Twitter:
“Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game,” he wrote. “Obviously 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.”
During a post-game interviews, Adams apologized again.
“Before I answer anything else, I wanna apologize to … some guy running off the field,” Davante Adams said. “And he ran — jumped in front of me — (when) we were coming off the field. And I bumped into him, kinda pushed him, and he ended up on the ground. So I wanna say sorry to him for that, because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me. And I shouldn’t have responded that way.”
The Kansas City police department filed misdemeanor assault charges against Adams the day after the game. But prosecutors dismissed the charges. However, Zebley filed a civil suit against Adams. In the suit, Zebley claimed that he received death threats after the Adams push.
“In the days that followed, media and various fans of the Las Vegas Raiders and Adams discovered (Zebley’s) identity, circulated his contact information, and made death threats against him, as well as other generally vile comments,” the complaint states. “(Zebley) felt concerned for his own safety and sought counseling and stayed away from his apartment.”