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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterSep 30, 2024, 08:06 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI — The NFL Players Association is reviewing an incident involving a fan and Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown after Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
As Cincinnati’s players were walking off the field at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, it appeared a drink was poured on Brown by someone in the stands at the conclusion of the Bengals’ 34-24 victory.
After video was posted on social media, the incident was referred to officials within the NFLPA and the league, according to Michael Thomas, a player director with the players’ association.
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“We’ll see if we can identify the person and then we’ll go from there,” Thomas told ESPN on Monday. “But that should never happen to a player.”
Bengals center Ted Karras, the team’s lead player representative for the NFLPA, said video would be reviewed to gather more information. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN the league was looking into the matter.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Brown said he was throwing his gloves to one of the fans who was above the entrance to the visitors tunnel after the team’s first victory of the season.
The second-year player had his first NFL rushing touchdown in the win over the Panthers, and added a second later in the game for the first multitouchdown day of his career.
Brown said he was looking forward to celebrating in the locker room before the incident.
“I was walking in [and] I felt the liquid or whatever, and then when I saw the video back, I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s really what happened,'” Brown said.
Karras recalled a drink-throwing incident in 2017 when he played for the New England Patriots. Offensive lineman David Andrews was pelted with a drink that was believed to be intended for quarterback Tom Brady.
Fans who are found responsible for unruly conduct at NFL games can be subject to punishment, including a potential lifetime ban.
“That was ridiculous,” Karras told ESPN on Monday about what happened to Brown in Carolina. “We can’t have that. That’s endangering of players.”
Brown said he wasn’t bothered enough at the time to confront the fan in that situation, but he does not want something similar to happen in the future.
“Please don’t pour drinks on us,” Brown said. “I mean, nobody wants that.”
