Source: Vaughn Ridley / Getty
Back in March, a Utah Jazz fan was banned from the Vivint Smart Home Arena, and he’s now seeking reparations.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Monday that Shane Keisel is seeking $100 million from Westbrook on behalf of himself and his girlfriend, Jennifer Huff.
On March 11, Kiesel allegedly shouted at then-Oklahoma Thunder guard Russell Westbrook a racially insensitive remark, telling him to “get down on your knees like you used to.”
Since the incident, Kiesel has tried to prove that he actually told Westbrook to “wrap his knees to be better able to play later on in the game.”
Westbrook was angry about what he heard and told the fan to throw hands instead of doing all that talking. “I’ll fuck you up. You and your wife. I’ll fuck you up,” Russ yelled at the fans.
The Jazz banned Keisel permanently in March. The NBA fined Westbrook $25,000 “for directing profanity and threatening language to a fan.”
The organization investigated the underlying incident and acted in an appropriate and responsible manner,” Frank Zang, senior vice president of communications for Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, told the Tribune. “We intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit.”
Beyond getting banned from the arena, the real consequences are that Kiesel’s, “members of his family were harassed and that he had to alter his driving routes, stop using his first name and install new locks and security cameras at his home.” He also got fired from his job with Brent Brown Toyota and kicked out of a pilot training program with SkyWest Airlines.
