Fournette says fan he yelled at used racial slur
Louis Riddick asserts that Jacksonville players quit in in their 30-9 loss to the Titans. (0:59)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette said Monday that the fan with whom he got into a verbal altercation during last Thursday’s game at Tennessee used a racial slur.
Coach Doug Marrone said he spoke with Fournette after Monday’s walk-through about a video released by TMZ that showed Fournette yelling at a fan at Nissan Stadium, and that’s when Fournette told Marrone the fan used a racial slur.
Fournette declined to address the matter in the locker room on the advice of his agent.
However, running back T.J. Yeldon said multiple fans directed racial slurs at the players.
“Did I hear it? Yeah,” Yeldon said. “All the running backs and people on the offensive side were hearing the exchange. They were heckling at us all game, at him and all of us all game.
“All night. All night. All day they was calling us racial slurs, all game.”
Defensive end Calais Campbell said he didn’t hear about the verbal altercation or Fournette’s claim that the fan used a racial slur until Monday morning.
“That didn’t happen to me but I’ve seen it happen before,” he said. “It’s sad when you have to deal with that in the midst of a game, but at the same time it sucks. You just have to stay focused on the game at hand and continue to try to push through.
“I didn’t hear anything about it until earlier today. You never want to see that in a game, never. They’re trying to get you out your game. It’s sad in 2018 you have to deal with that but that’s just how it goes.”
The TMZ clip shows Fournette yelling into the stands and telling someone he was going to “beat your ass” before two people walk up and escort Fournette away. The clip jumps to another point where Fournette in front of the bench yelling into the stands while Yeldon, who is seated, looks over his shoulder into the stands.
The Titans won the game 30-9, handing the Jaguars their eighth loss in their past nine games.
It was Fournette’s first game back after serving a one-game suspension the previous week for getting into a fight with Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Shaq Lawson during the Bills’ 24-21 victory on Nov. 25. Fournette left the bench and ran across the field and punched Lawson during an altercation that broke out near the goal line after Jaguars receiver Dede Westbrook shoved Bills safety Micah Hyde.