Leonard Fournette says he had a very good reason for getting into a verbal altercation with a Tennessee Titans fan last week, and the team is investigating the claims made by the Jacksonville Jaguars star.
A video recorded by a fan and published by TMZ shows Fournette confronting a fan and telling him he is “too old” to be harassing players at a sporting event. Fournette then challenged the man to come down to the field so he could “beat your a–.”
While the video did not appear to include any racist language, Fournette told The Athletic on Monday that he reacted the way he did after the fan called him a “servant” and used a racial slur. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said he met with Fournette after Monday’s walkthrough and the running back told him the same, adding that he trusts Fournette to tell the truth.
“I sure hope stadium security is involved,” Marrone said. “No one wants that stuff around this game.”
According to TMZ, stadium security has gotten involved. The Titans have launched an investigation to determine if people sitting around the fan who got into it with Fournette heard any racist language. The person who recorded the video told TMZ he did not hear any racial slurs and that Fournette was only being heckled about the score of the game.
You can certainly understand why Fournette would be upset if he had a racial slur thrown his way, but he could be fined by the NFL if no evidence is found. Fournette was ejected from Jacksonville’s recent game against the Buffalo Bills for throwing a swing at an opponent and having it out with him in the tunnel, and he was later suspended for one game by the league.
