Get ready for the most ridiculous story related to the Pittsburgh Steelers that you’re probably going to read today, unless somebody comes out with an article saying the team HAS to go after A.J. McCarron at any cost. Which, sadly, I can’t say for certain will not happen, because, you know, people be crazy.
Okay, here it goes.
Steelers starting strong safety Sean Davis is being sued, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for “libel, cyberbullying, intentional infliction of emotional distress and slander”, which came as a result of a video that he posted on Snapchat regarding service that he received at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.
I’m not a big social media person and haven’t seen the video myself, but the article describes Davis as saying “Chick-fil-A got little kids. This kid like eight years old. No wonder the lines be so long at Chick-fil-A”.
The parents of the teenager in question allege that as a result of the video, in which he is visible, he was subject to weeks of harassment and bullying at school. The family’s lawyer contends that the teen “has been hurt and injured in his good name and reputation”, and “exposed to public hatred, contempt and ridicule”, and goes so far as to say that the action was not simply “extreme and outrageous”, but “intentional and/or reckless”.
Davis’ lawyer in turn said that Davis’ video was “a commentary on a billion-dollar corporation” that “had nothing to do with this particular young man”. He went on to say that “there was absolutely no intent on Sean’s part to single him out” and was instead meant to comment on the delay in receiving his food.
The family’s lawyer has made the claim that they “tried mightily to have this settled out of court and not even for money”. He says that they wanted Davis to record an anti-bullying/cyberbullying Public Service Announcement, but the player declined because he does not believe that his actions represented bullying, and that doing so would allow others to infer guilt.
In turn, Davis’ lawyer said that “offered to invite the teen and two friends to be his guests at a day of Steelers training camp in the summer, as well as to invite him to attend Mr. Davis’ football camp in Washington, D.C., this summer, where he would address the issue of cyber-bullying”. This was also declined.
And so now it results in a lawsuit, which Davis’ group called “frivolous”. I’m not going to offer much in the way of personal opinions regarding this matter and instead try to stick to relaying the facts as the Post-Gazette article has laid out, because I’m sure there will be plenty of opinions extolled below.
