The NFL said that it will ban fans who use racial slurs during games.
The league is investigating claims made by Washington Redskins receiver Terrelle Pryor, who said that a fan called him a racial epithet during Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs in KC.
Pryor then turned around and yelled a curse word at him, according to media reports.
NFL Spokesman Joe Lockhart said that the league is investigating the incident, and he added that fans who use racial slurs will be banned.
“We are looking into all aspects of it and we will report back when we have concluded that review,” Lockhart told ProFootballTalk. “We have no tolerance for racial comments directed to anyone. Those fans are not welcome to come back this week, next week, or any time.”
The postgame exchange was caught on video of a fan shouting non-racial obscenities, with Pryor returning verbal fire and flipping his middle finger. Pryor seemed like he was going to throw his helmet at the offending fan, but was restrained by Redskins strength and conditioning coach Chad Englehart before continuing to the locker room.
The 28-year-old Pryor said he was initially put off by a fan calling him the “N-word” during the Redskins’ 29-20 loss. He insisted on Instagram that he was called the racial slur “several times to the point where an NFL employee had to step to me and stand by me the whole game from second quarter on is the exact reason why guys are kneeling during the anthem.”
Pryor, for the record, stood for the national anthem. He did, however, offer an apology on social media, Reuters noted.
“I do apologize to my teammates and the organization,” Pryor wrote. “But at some point you keep calling us The N word … we going to start acting up. #straightlikethat.”
Reuters contributed to this report.