Eagles fan apologizes, defends himself after viral confrontation with Packers fans

An Eagles fan who has become the center of controversy after his vulgar interaction with a Packers couple went viral, has finally broken his silence.

Ryan Caldwell says he "deeply regrets" berating a Packers fan with "unacceptable" insults during the Wild Card game at the Linc last Sunday.

However, the Eagles fan is also defending himself, claiming that the video "does not show the full context" of what transpired that day.

What they're saying:

In a statement sent to FOX 29, Caldwell said, "While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret."

"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 backstory:

Video of the incident quickly spread online after the Eagles victory, showing Caldwell taunting two Packers fans, including the person recording.

The video shows one of the fans celebrating a play on the field, before the Eagles fan leans down and begins calling her names, claiming she misunderstood what had happened on the field during a particular play. 

When the man recording the video tells the Eagles fan to leave the woman alone, he repeats the repugnant slurs and keeps chiding the visiting fans. 

The other side:

The viral moment spurred reactions from the entire football community, the Eagles organization and Caldwell's own workplace.

After being banned from all future events at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles fan was fired from his job at BCT Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion services.

"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," the company said in a statement, announcing that they had decided to ‘part company with the employee’ effective immediately. 

Fans celebrated his firing, calling him the "clown of the week," saying he needed to be held responsible for his actions.

"I so hope that the trash that IS Ryan Caldwell is now home having to explain to his wife and DAUGHTER why he just rightfully got fired," one X user wrote.

The Source: The information in this article comes from multiple sources, including a statement from Ryan Caldwell, confidential sources with knowledge of the matter, as well as BCT Partners’ public statements shared on social media. 

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