Raiders’ Davante Adams is facing a civil suit in relation to shoving a photographer. What do we know?
The raiders star will now have to face a civil suit in connection with an incident involving a member of the media which occurred back in October last year.
A rush of blood to the head, a genuine lack of respect, or perhaps something else completely. Whatever reason the Raiders star had for his actions, the fact remains that both he and his team are now facing legal action from the person who was the apparent victim in the scenario.
Raiders’ Davante Adams facing civil suit
According to recent reports, Raiders star Davante Adams is now set to face a civil suit which stems from an altercation which took place last October. Following a hard loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season, Adamas appeared to shove a registered member of the press as he walked off the field. So hard was the push in fact that the individual in question, Park Zebley, claimed to have suffered whiplash, headaches and a minor concussion as a result of it. It is understood that Zebley was covering the game as a freelance photographer for ESPN at the time.
To be clear, Adams was later charged with misdemeanor assault after the incident which occurred on October 10th. Now, several months later it seems that things have run their course and Zebley has subsequently taken the decision to file a lawsuit against the Raiders player. “A municipal misdemeanor battery charge is not sufficient,” Zebley said in a statement. “I’m looking for justice. You can’t shove someone down and walk off like it didn’t happen. Not in real life.”
The Raiders could be implicated as well
It’s worth noting that the potential repercussions here are not only limited to Adamas who has been named as a defendant. Indeed, according to the suit, Zebley is also suing the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority and Landmark Events Staffing. Where the Chiefs are concerned, Zebley alleges that along with the aforementioned Authority and Landmark, the team “failed to provide the requisite amount and quality of on-field security.” Adams on the other hand, is being sued for a single count of Batter, while the Raiders are being sued for one count of vicarious liability and ratification and one count of negligent supervision.
Further to these details, Zebley has also claimed that he “feared for his life” due to his identity being leaked online, which in turn resulted in alleged harassment and death threats from Raiders fans. “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 lawsuit stated. “(Zebley) felt concerned for his own safety and sought counseling and stayed away from his apartment.” Zebley’s attorney, Dan Curry, has since stated that his client wants to be compensated for the anguish and pain that he suffered during these past few months. “We’re in the beginning stages of this, but (Zebley) is looking for compensation for what happened to him, and if a jury has to decide, then that’s who’ll decide,” Curry said.
What has Davante Adams said about the incident?
For his part, Adams did actually apologize on social media for the incident back in October, however, he later deleted his post on Twitter. “Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game,” Adams had posted at the time. “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.” Interestingly, the NFL did not punish Adams in any way, however, that doesn’t necessarily exempt him from the possibility that he will be punished in the future. According to NFL.com, the league is currently awaiting the conclusion of the legal process, before taking a stance. It is understood that Adams is due to appear in court on June 26th, while the suit itself has a case management conference date set for August 23rd.