A recent postgame incident in Charlotte involving Bengals running back Chase Brown has caught the attention of the NFL Players Association.
A video shared on social media after the Bengals’ 34-24 victory over the Panthers shows a fan pouring a drink on Brown as he handed his gloves to someone in the stands. On Monday, Brown mentioned feeling the liquid but chose not to escalate the situation on the field. He added, “please don’t pour drinks on us.”
Bengals NFLPA representative Ted Karras criticized the behavior, calling it “endangering of players,” while NFLPA player director Michael Thomas stated that the union is investigating the matter.
“We’ll see if we can identify the person and then we’ll go from there,” Thomas told Ben Baby of ESPN.com. “But that should never happen to a player.”
It’s the second consecutive season the Panthers have been part of a drink-related altercation. Last year, team owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 for throwing a drink on a fan during a loss in Jacksonville.
One fan commented, “respect for ignoring but what an awful fan,” while another added, “Are we sure that wasn’t David Tepper?”
Another fan questioned, “Why the hell doesn’t the NFL have cameras rolling on the fans while teams are near them? This fan should be arrested.”
A different comment read, “Then they aren’t truly a fan. That’s absolutely disgusting behavior. No fan, no matter how bad their team may be, should do that. Grow up!!! It’s just a game and nothing more.”
A Panthers supporter added, “As a Panthers fan, we don’t claim him.”
READ MORE: VIDEO: Frustrated Tyreek Hill has a meltdown on sideline as Dolphins lose 31-12 to Titans
When asked why he didn’t confront the fan, Brown explained, “I didn’t really see where the drink got poured, but as I was walking in, I felt the liquid.” After watching the footage, he realized what had happened. “And then when I saw the video back I was like ‘Damn, that’s really what happened.’”
Instead of engaging with the fan, Brown continued walking to the locker room. “It kinda just happened out of nowhere,” he noted. “It looked blue or something. Please don’t pour drinks on us. Nobody wants that.”
Brown remained calm about the situation, stating, “I didn’t really care. I’m sure stuff like that happens all the time, it’s just undocumented, but this time it was documented.” He concluded, “Just be a professional about the situation and move on.”
NFL 
