The NFL concluded that a fan did not intentionally spill a drink on Bengals running back Chase Brown after Cincinnati’s win in Carolina on Sunday.
Footage showed what appeared to be a fan pouring a drink on Brown as he exited the field and entered the tunnel at Bank of America Stadium.
In a statement Thursday, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, “The league’s review determined portions of a drink were accidentally spilled on the Cincinnati player as Bengals fans tried to catch the gloves he tossed to them.” The review involved analyzing video from multiple angles, including stadium security cameras and social media.
Had the league found the spill to be intentional, the fan could have faced a lifetime ban from the stadium.
Brown recounted the moment as a joyful one, throwing his gloves to fans in celebration of the win. While he chose not to directly address the fan, he called for greater respect and sportsmanship to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“I was walking in, felt the liquid, and when I saw the video, I was like, ‘Damn, that’s really what happened,'” Brown said.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Panthers have been involved in a drink-throwing incident. In January, team owner David Tepper was fined after being caught on video tossing a drink toward a fan during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
