Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips claims he had a good reason for angrily confronting a Philadelphia Eagles fan on Sunday night.
The Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bills in a thrilling 37-34 overtime game at Lincoln Financial Field. At one point during the shootout, Phillips decided he had heard enough from a fan who was seated behind the visiting team’s bench.
Phillips and several other Buffalo players walked over to confront the fan. Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson then shoved the fan before security stepped in. You can see the video here.
Phillips addressed the incident in an Instagram post on Monday. He claimed he was so angry because the Eagles fan threatened his family.
“I love the crowd I love rowdy fans it makes the game fun. But one thing I’m not going to tolerate is someone threatening me or my family. This is a line that shouldn’t be crossed,” Phillips wrote.
Lawson had a similar explanation. He apologized for shoving the fan but accused the man of “making life threatening remarks towards us and our families.”
“Before the game started yesterday, there was a fan behind our bench, who was making life threatening remarks towards us and our families.”
-Shaq Lawson, via his Instagram, with an explanation and apology for this actions yesterday. pic.twitter.com/KY1BzW5kHQ
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) November 27, 2023
Lawson also said Bills players asked for the fan to be removed, but no one took action. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called the altercation an “unfortunate situation” and said he was also made aware that people asked for the fan to be removed.
While the NFL typically allows players to return fire on trash talk, Lawson will likely face disciplinary action for getting physical with a fan.
Eagles fans have a reputation for getting under the skin of opposing players. That certainly was not the first time we have seen a player get into it with a Philly fan.
