DK Metcalf Suspension Could Cost Steelers the AFC North

There’s a proverb to teach children to ignore bullies and not retaliate physically.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," it goes.

It’s a lesson the Pittsburgh Steelers’ DK Metcalf sure could have used Sunday in Detroit.

The uber-talented but often troubled wide receiver was suspended by the league for the final two regular-season games for an altercation with a fan during the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 29-24 victory against the Lions.

Metcalf reportedly will appeal the ban, which could prove extremely costly for the wideout and perhaps damaging to his team’s playoff hopes.

The Steelers (9-6) still lead Baltimore (7-8) by two games in the NFC North, and they can clinch the division title with a Ravens loss to Green Bay or a victory of their own against Cleveland this weekend. But if neither of those happen, they could be staring at a Week 18 matchup against Baltimore for the division’s lone playoff berth without their leading receiver.

According to CBS Sports, not only would Metcalf forfeit $555,000 in salary from the final two games, but the suspension could void at least $45 million in future guaranteed money in his contract.

Videos show Metcalf walking behind the Steelers’ bench and the team’s medical tent and reaching up to grab the fan — who was leaning over the railing and wearing a blue wig — by the shirt and pulling him closer. After exchanging words, Metcalf forcibly pushed the man away.

The fan, identified by the Detroit Free Press as Ryan Kennedy from Pinckney, Mich., claimed he called Metcalf by his “government name” of DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf.

Former NFL wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, on his “Nightcap” podcast, claimed he “got word” that Kennedy used a racial slur against Metcalf and a misogynistic slur against the receiver’s mother.

Metcalf didn’t speak with reporters after Sunday’s game. If what Johnson says is proven, then Kennedy should be banned from all NFL stadiums.

There are reports Metcalf reported the same fan to team security while playing last season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Which is even more reason Metcalf shouldn’t have been anywhere close to the stands Sunday at Ford Field.

He should have been lobbying quarterback Aaron Rodgers for more targets, not using rabbit ears to be distracted by a voice in the crowd — even one potentially so profane.

Metcalf took the bait and he and the Steelers are paying for it.

Former Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark, now an ESPN analyst, said Metcalf “has to have a higher level of emotional intelligence.”

Metcalf is a physical specimen, listed at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds. There are few receivers that have been as chiseled, despite his claims he’s a “candy person” that eats three or four bags of gummies a day.

He also has a history of emotional issues, having been fined 16 times by the NFL, according to Spotrac, since entering the league as a second-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2019. Most of those came after altercations with defenders, often after the play was long over.

In Seattle, he frequently was summoned to coach Pete Carroll’s office.

"I'm a passionate player and I'm never going to back down from anything,” Metcalf told the Seahawks’ team website after being ejected from a game in 2021. “(Carroll) understands that, but at the same time … I've got to grow up and continue to get better. I know that I'm still a work in progress.”

And he still has lessons to be learned.