Whew chile, the audacity! That’s likely exactly how NBA star Russell Westbrook is feeling after learning of the recent news that he’s being sued. You may remember earlier this year when a fan was banned from future games for telling Russell to “get down on your knees like you used to”—well now, that fan is suing him and the Utah Jazz for millions.
In March of this year, a Utah Jazz fan was officially banned by the team for shouting racist, derogatory remarks at Russell Westbrook, who at the time was playing against the Jazz for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fast forward to the present and Shane Keisel (the fan) is suing Russell and the Utah Jazz for $100 million for compensatory and punitive damages, alleging defamation and infliction of emotional distress, as reported by @Blavity.
Keisel claims that he lost his job as a result of the incident and also received death threats, as he says that he only told Russell to “wrap his knees so he can play later.” The lawsuit also states:
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“The crowd was shocked by the ferocity of Mr. Westbrook’s outburst when he had only been told to take care of his knees, albeit in a mocking manner that implied he would need to use them extensively to ensure his team’s victory.”
The Utah Jazz responded to Keisel lawsuit by calling it “legally and factually baseless” and stating that “The organization investigated the underlying incident and acted in an appropriate and responsible manner. We intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit.”
While Russell was fined $25,000 for his outburst, he previously said this of the incident:
“For me, that’s completely disrespectful. To me, I think it’s racial and inappropriate. There are a lot of great fans around the world that like to come to the game to enjoy the game, [and] there are people who come to the game to say mean and disrespectful things about me and my family.”
As of right now, Russell has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
