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The disgraced Utah Jazz fan who got banned for life from the Vivint Smart Home Arena last March has filed a $68 million suit against the NBA and Houston Rockets' superstar Russell Westbrook.
According to a report from Benjamin Wood of the Salt Lake Tribune, Shane Kiesel filed a lawsuit to the 4th District Court, denying the claims made by the league against him where he supposedly shouted racist and derogatory remarks to Westbrook.
Kiesel was tossed out of the arena after figuring in an ugly verbal confrontation with Westbrook who was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time.
“Mr. Keisel’s heckling was of the same kind and caliber as that of the other audience members in the section,” the lawsuit states.
Furthermore, Kiesel also denied Westbrook's initial accusations, where he claimed that the enraged fan told him to “get down on your knees like you used to,” which was deemed as racially malicious.
Article Continues Below“The crowd was shocked by the ferocity of Mr. Westbrook’s outburst when he had only been told to take care of his knees,” the lawsuit added, “albeit in a mocking manner that implied he would need to use them extensively to ensure his team’s victory.”
Kiesel said Westbrook simply misheard his response, where he simply meant to say that the NBA star should wrap his knees to be better able to play later on in the game.
Westbrook also received flak for his behavior during the altercation, where he blatantly threatened Kiesel and his wife who was also in attendance at the time.
Kiesel's lawsuit also states that the incident has affected his personal life, as his family has been subject to harassment in public.
“In public, people have stopped, point out, and taken photographs of Mr. Keisel and his family, causing Mr. Keisel to avoid going out in public except when necessary,” the lawsuit read.
