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Ryan Caldwell, the Philadelphia Eagles fan who was banned after being verbally assaulting a female Green Bay Packers fan in a viral video and later fired from his job issued an apology, but also claimed he was provoked, in a public statement to the New York Post on Wednesday (January 15).
Caldwell claimed that the video shared online "does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation” during an exchange with the woman, identified as Ally Keller, at the NFC Wild Card Round matchup between the Packers and Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
“While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret,” Caldwell said. “What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
“I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended. That said, there are two sides to every story. The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am.”
The video, which was filmed by the Packers fan's fiancé, Alexander Basara, shows Caldwell repeatedly calling Keller a "dumb c**t," which Basara said was "unprovoked" as she was only cheering for her team. Caldwell's former employer, BCT Partners, a New Jersey based management consulting firm focused on solving complex social issues, announced it "decided to part company with the employee" Tuesday (January 14) night after conducting an internal investigation.
"We, the management of BCT Partners, have concluded the internal personnel investigation regarding an employee who was caught on a video outside of the workplace making highly offensive and misogynistic statements," the company said in its statement. "In keeping with our company values, which are firmly centered on respect, dignity, and inclusion, we have decided to part company with the employee. This separation is effective immediately.
"We condemn our former employee's conduct in the strongest possible terms. This individual's conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society. Such conduct is not who we are and not what we stand for."
BetParx's Derrick Gunn reported that the Eagles identified both parties involved and banned the aggressor from attending future games while also issuing an apology to the Packers fan, who will receive gear of her favorite team.
The Eagles defeated the Packers, 22-10, to advance to the NFC Divisional Round and will host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (January 19).