Davante Adams is facing charges following his assault of a cameraman after the loss on Monday so let’s look at what that means for Adams.
As most of you know, following Monday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams engaged in some extracurricular activities when he shoved a cameraman out of his way and to the ground as he left the field in a fit of anger. The entire incident was captured on camera.
Raiders’ WR Davante Adams moments after the Raiders loss to the Chiefs: pic.twitter.com/lEjoOHS7x2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2022
Following this unprompted attack, Adams later issued an apology in the locker room as reported by ESPN:
"“I want to apologize to the guy, there was some guy running off the field, and he ran, like jumped in front of me coming off the field and I bumped into him, kind of pushed him, and he ended up on the ground,” Adams said at his locker. “So I wanted to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in from of me. I shouldn’t have responded that way, but that’s how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that.”"
Unfortunately, apologizing does not take away what happened. The individual sought medical treatment following the assault and elected to press charges. On October 12, the Kansas City Police Department charged Adams with a misdemeanor assault.
In general, an assault requires contact that the victim deems offensive and it must be intentional. According to the report, the cameraman, Ryan Zebley, sustained whiplash and headache, and a possible minor concussion.
Adams now has to make his way through the Kansas City court system. He will no doubt retain counsel, and given the evidence against him—hello, video—it seems like there won’t be much of a defense here. As is often the case with criminal cases, the prosecutor is likely to offer a plea deal, one that will probably include a period of probation, no jail time, fines, and restitution to Mr. Zebley.
What Adams is also likely facing is a civil lawsuit. Let’s all remember back to the days before the Tyreek Hill trade when Adams set the record for the richest wide receiver contract. He’s got money, no doubt. Kansas City ambulance chasers are scrambling to pass Mr. Zebley their business card to represent him in a civil suit for damages. Likely, there will be no lawsuit filed and a pre-suit settlement will be reached between Adams and Zebley. I would not be surprised if Zebley enjoys a richer bank account following this interaction.
Regardless, Zebley was clearly assaulted by Adams and he will be facing civil and criminal issues for the foreseeable future. We likely won’t see a resolution to the matter for a few months or longer, but suffice it to say, you shouldn’t attack people.