Packers Nick Collins Confronts Bears Fan After Loss (VIDEO)

(AP) MILWAUKEE — The NFL is investigating a confrontation between Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins and a fan after Monday night's loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press the league is "in the process of reviewing all the facts" and Bears spokesman Scott Hagel said the team is doing the same thing.

(UPDATE: SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO)

"Right now, we're monitoring it," Hagel said.

Milwaukee's WITI-TV aired video in which Collins is seen yelling at a fan as he left the field. Collins then appears to throw his mouthpiece into the stands. According to the station's report, Collins said the fan spit on him and used a racial slur.

WITI said Collins apologized for "losing his cool."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he hadn't seen the video but had been briefed on the situation by the Packers' security department.

"I understand Nick's story, as far as what happened and what our security people that were there (said)," McCarthy told reporters in Green Bay on Tuesday. "And I support Nick 100 percent."

Still, McCarthy said players would be wise to avoid such confrontations.

"You don't want to get into interaction, particularly with opposing fans," McCarthy said. "It is an emotional time, particularly after a game. I think it's something we can all learn from."

Collins, a veteran safety who has been selected to two straight Pro Bowls, may have been frustrated after being caught in the middle of two penalties that helped turn the game in the Bears' favor.

With the score tied at 17 and the Bears driving in the final minutes of the game, Collins intercepted a pass from Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler. But the play was wiped out by a pass interference penalty on rookie safety Morgan Burnett, putting the Bears in position to kick the game-winning field goal.

"I saw that yellow flag down, and you're like, 'Aw, come on, man,'" Collins said after the game. "It happens. It's just part of the game."

Earlier in the quarter, Collins was called for unnecessary roughness on Bears running back Matt Forte after a 15-yard reception, allowing the Bears to continue a drive for a game-tying field goal.

UPDATE: Video of the incident has surfaced. According to the report, Collins claims that the fan called him the N-word. Scroll down to see the footage.

WATCH:

Comments

[IndyGuy]

02:21 PM on 09/30/2010

I'm a Green Bay Packer fan and have been to several Bear-Packer games. I've also been to a number of other sporting events and I can say that Bear fans are the worse fans of any sport! Take for example of a game in the 90's I saw with my father in Champaign, IL during the time the Soldier Field was being renovated. I got punch a couple of times and had to protect my elderly dad from some stupid teenage punk from hitting him! After the game Bear fans tore up a cemetery next to Memorial Stadium. That's why I will never go to Soldier Field to see a game: jerk fans!

[DrFunkenstein22]

11:54 PM on 09/30/2010

I'm sorry to hear that story about your dad and your unfortunate experience but I can personally say that Bears fans are EXACTLY the same as any other NFL fan anywhere in this country. It is a shame that public drunkenness has a tendency to ruin many a sporting event for opposing fans that have the "gall" to attend an away game. I feel for you. As a Bears fan who went to UW-Madison I can definately tell you that there've been many situations where I had to leave a party or bar due to the unruly actions of Packer fans. Nevertheless, I think that alcohol is to blame. I certainly to go around pretending that Packer fans are any worse than fans of other teams. Lets face it, sometimes going to a sporting event (especially when your team isn't at home) just plain sucks. I'm personally completely in favor of disallowing this sale of alcohol at all sporting events like they do in college football games. These games should be family friendly.

[DHWRD]

01:39 PM on 09/30/2010

Fans take things too far sometimes. If he was called that then he had every right, in my opinion, to go into the stands and whip that guys natural arse. He should have taken a break, drank some Gatorade and then returned to whipping that guys arse. If the packer organization or the NFL made him apologize then it is unfortunate. If fans want to be so bold then allow the players to respond in a way that one should be able to respond. Allow the fan to come down to the tunnel or allow the player to go into the stands and settle it. I'm sure the fan would not be so brave up close and personal.

[MilesTone]

10:59 AM on 09/30/2010

If people don't think it's plausible for a sports fan to yell the N-word at a sporting event, watch a European soccer match or simply google soccer and racial epithets used against black players. Until we face our problems we cannot address them. Race is a sensitive subject but pretending that racism doesn't exist will not solve the problem. We have to wait further investigation into Collins accusations, however, it's not farfetched that some drunk white fan could have made that comment in the heat of the moment, when surrounded by his buddies (who may very well have the same mindset).

[AngryHarpy]

08:11 AM on 09/30/2010

Anyone else unable to get this video to play? Both embedded here and on the site. [mumbles]

[DrFunkenstein22]

11:44 PM on 09/29/2010

Call me a homer (die-hard Bears fan here)... call me skeptic... call me what you will. I'm only going by what I've seen in the video. Nevertheless here are the facts as I see them: 1) He certainly did not get spat upon during the filming of this video, 2) No matter how many times I've replayed the video I simply cannot hear even the slightest semblance of the n-word, 3) There is not a single fan in the stands (both Bears and Packers fans) that reacts negatively to whatever was said by that guy, 4) Is there any difference between spitting upon someone and hurling a mouthpiece filled with spit directly at someone else?, 5) Are the fans' tickets paying for any entertainer-in-particular's salary?, 6) Have any athletes ever lied to save their own skin recently (ahem... baseball steroids scandal, cough cough)?

Then I asked myself: "Self? If you were Nick Collins and realized that you got caught on video doing what you did, what would be the only alibi that could save you from suspension and fines? Who could vouch for you since no other player would put their neck on the line for you in such a sordid affair? perhaps your good friend the trainer who you could give a nice fat donation to without anyone noticing?"

[uhavenoface]

12:39 AM on 09/30/2010

right because it's so unheard of for a white person in america to use a racial slur towards a black person.

by the way, the video picks up after the confrontation had already started so i'm not sure where you get the idea that you can jump to all those conclusions about him lying.

[hey0there]

02:12 AM on 09/30/2010

I've only seen it on tv.

[DrFunkenstein22]

02:19 AM on 09/30/2010

I merely wanted to put it out as a possibility. I never said that his story was impossible to believe or even improbable. However, I think for the reasons stated above that it is at least worth consideration. If you look at everyone in the stands you see shock, dismay and fear at the behavior displayed by Nick Collins (from both Bears and Packers fans alike). What you do not see at all, is any sort of anger or disapproval from nearby fans directed at the fan in question. Once again, Nick's story is entirely believable and understandable (though I personally believe that while I can certainly understand his anger, I don't believe that his actions were justified). All I am trying to say is that when someone considers THE FACTS alone and not the he said/she said behind it all, I think that my assertion isn't entirely out of the question. Maybe I'm just jaded by modern day athletes in general but I pretty much always expect an athlete to try and cover his or her own tracks these via the media regardless of what the truth may be. Once again, Nick is probably telling the truth. I find professional football fans to be among the worst behaved of all sports fans, second only to those hooligans across the pond.

[tonewheel]

11:11 PM on 09/29/2010

That fan is clearly a south sider.....

[joncushman]

07:17 PM on 09/29/2010

Yawn

[cliffhammond]

07:28 AM on 09/30/2010

What he yawned.

[Citizen13]

06:58 PM on 09/29/2010

I'm a Bears fan but I wouldn't resort to racial slurs and spitting, being a "Cheesehead" is bad enough. The fan should get charged or banned if they can prove the insult, and drinking is no excuse. Leave it to some ignorant muscle head (in the stands) to ruin a great game.

[Mfusion]

06:04 PM on 09/29/2010

This is a really good video. You have to turn up the volume really loud to hear the tv broadcast, and then when the guy in the room yells "CUZ" at the end it blows out your speakers. I been punked!

[swampthing]

06:02 PM on 09/29/2010

Awww sports; the obsession of idiots on every side.

[forty8r]

05:47 PM on 09/29/2010

Bears fans like most football fans can be rowdy for sure but your a professional football player act like a professional!

[chuychrist]

04:58 PM on 09/29/2010

this is news?

[snauzages]

04:57 PM on 09/29/2010

bet the fan wouldn't be chirping if he was face to face w mr. collins.

[briarus42]

04:18 PM on 09/29/2010

THE BEARS! maybe he can beat up a loudmouth fan too bad he could do any thing except
spankings from THE BEARS!

[d225weid]

04:11 PM on 09/29/2010

See you in January, Bears. You'll lose like you should have on Monday. That said, 17 penalties is an embarrassment...learn from it Pack.

[tonewheel]

11:10 PM on 09/29/2010

"Should have" doesn't cut it. You're TooInWun.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

07:35 PM on 09/30/2010

Agreed.