Getty Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks on before a game against the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field on October 2, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams finds himself in unenviable circumstances following an unprovoked physical altercation in Kansas City.
Adams is facing misdemeanor assault charges after he pushed a camera man to the ground while exiting the field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night, October 10. The All-Pro pass catcher was visibly angry after the Las Vegas Raiders (1-4) botched a fourth down play and fell to the Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) by a single point.
On Wednesday, reporters asked Adams’ former teammate and quarterback Aaron Rodgers for his reaction to both the wideout’s actions and the subsequent fallout.
“I was surprised. I was definitely surprised,” Rodgers said, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I love Davante. I reached out to him after the game. I haven’t seen the clip yet but, yeah, I was surprised.”
Wood went on to ask the QB if his surprise was tied more to Adams’ physicality or the assault charge that followed.
“More the charge,” Rodgers responded.
Stephen A. Smith Calls Assault Charge Against Adams ‘Money Grab’
GettyWide receiver Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders warms up prior to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 10, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
Paul Gutuierrez of ESPN tweeted out a video Monday night that clipped together the play that lost the Raiders the game, Adams’ immediate sideline reaction and the receiver shoving the camera man as he made his way to the tunnel.
The camera man later visited a local hospital for evaluation before filing a police report regarding the incident.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacted to the charge as part of First Take Wednesday morning, calling it a “money grab” on the part of the camera man.
“This is a money grab. I’m accusing the guy of that. You’re damn right it is,” Smith said. “You got pushed to the ground. You got right back up. Next thing you know, you at the police department and now you filing some charges. Please, ain’t nobody fooled.”
“Let’s also take into account that even though I believe this to be a money grab … the fact of the matter is that Davante Adams had no business doing what he did,” Smith continued. “He’s got no history whatsoever, any bad history. He’s a good dude, heart’s in the right place.”
Adams’ Ex-Green Bay Teammate Adrian Amos Tells Public to Relax
GettySafety Adrian Amos of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after intercepting a pass by QB Mitchell Trubisky, formerly of the Chicago Bears, during a game at Soldier Field on January 3, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Rodgers was the first Packers player to speak on Adams’ situation. Safety Adrian Amos, another of the receiver’s former teammates, took to Twitter on the night in question with a simple message to everyone reacting in real time — relax.
“Yea it’s wrong but relax, he ain’t beat dude up or nothing,” Amos tweeted. “Yaw so dramatic lmao.”
Adams took the opportunity during the postgame to apologize to the camera man he pushed to the ground.
“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. “So I wanted 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.”