A photographer filed a police report after Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams shoved him to the ground in a seemingly unprovoked confrontation, Kansas City authorities said Tuesday.
Adams delivered a forceful two-handed shove to the man after the final gun sounded at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night, following the Chiefs' thrilling 30-29 victory.
The man fell back onto the turf while holding a bulky camera mount and other gear. He didn't appear to hit his head and was quickly helped back up by someone standing nearby.
"He made arrangements for private transport to the hospital for treatment at which time he called police," according to a Kansas City Police Department statement issued on Tuesday.
"The injuries are preliminarily thought to be non-life threatening. The incident will be investigated by our Assault Unit detectives, upon completion they will coordinate with the applicable city or state prosecutor to determine any applicable charges."
Adams told reporters late Monday night that he apologizes for the shove, but also appeared to cast some responsibility on the man he pushed.
“Before I answer anything else, I want to apologize to the guy — I seen some guy running off the field, and he ran or jumped in front of me, coming off the field and I bumped into him and kind of pushed him and he ended up on the ground," Adams said.
"So I want to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me. I shouldn’t have responded that way. But that’s how I initially responded, so I just want to apologize to him for that."
Adams also apologized on Twitter, saying he felt "horrible" about his reaction.
“The quick answer to your question is yes, pushing a photographer down is a crime," said Sean O’Brien, a law professor at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and former chief public defender in Kansas City.
If the photographer didn't suffer any serious injuries and Adams has a clean criminal record, the player could be charged with misdemeanor assault, with a likely punishment of probation, a small fine and anger management counseling, O’Brien added.
The star wideout Adams was traded this past off-season from the Green Bay Packers to Las Vegas, where he was reunited with his college teammate and long-time friend, quarterback Derek Carr.
Adams signed a contract extension and the two were expected to lead Las Vegas to the playoffs again this year. But the Silver & Black have dropped four of their first five games with each setback coming by less than a touchdown.
CORRECTION (Oct. 11, 2022, 11 a.m. ET): A photo caption in a previous version of this article misstated whom the Raiders played on Oct. 2. It was the Denver Broncos, not the Kansas City Chiefs.
