An NFL fan who came under intense scrutiny on social media for his vulgar abuse toward a female fan has spoken out.
He has since apologised for the ‘banter’ after losing his job and being banned from future games.
In the viral video, an NFL fan – now identified as Ryan Caldwell – wearing an Eagles jacket was heard heckling a woman and calling an ‘ugly dumb c***’ several times as well as hurling insults at her fiancé.
The altercation took place during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (January 12).
The Packers fans and victims of the abuse, Ally Keller and Alex Basara, spoke to NBC News about the incident earlier this week, saying Caldwell started with ‘playful jabs’ before the situation escalated and turned nasty.
Since the footage spread across social media platforms, outraged members of the public were able to track Caldwell down and the Eagles banned him from attending any more games in the future. Not only this but his employers, BCT Partners, a DEI-focused management consulting firm based in East Brunswick, New Jersey, announced in a public statement that the man was sacked ‘immediately’.
The statement, in part, read: “We have decided to part company with the employee.
“We condemn our former employee’s conduct in the strongest possible terms.
“This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society. Such conduct is not who we are and not what we stand for.”
Now, the disgraced fan, told his side of the story to the New York Post.
The Eagles fan said the video footage ‘does not reflect the full context’ and hinted he was provoked by the couple, but issued an apology for his choice of words.
Caldwell said: “While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret.
“What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
“I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended.”
However, the married man said he is now paying the ‘price’ for the ordeal, adding that there are ‘two sides to every story’.
“The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation,” he continued.
“I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am.”
Basara previously claimed on Twitter that Caldwell’s abuse was ‘unprovoked’ as the couple were only cheering on the Packers.
