Vikings' Josh Metellus warned for 'excessive verbal abuse' at Wolves-Thunder playoff game

It's unclear what Metellus said, but Target Center staff thought he crossed a line.
The warning card Josh Metellus received at the Wolves-Thunder game.
The warning card Josh Metellus received at the Wolves-Thunder game. / Josh Metellus via Instagram
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Have you ever wondered what happens to fans who cross the line with their banter at sporting events? Well, Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus, who by all accounts is one of the nicest guys in sports, apparently crossed that line while sitting close to the court during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Josh Metellus' Instagram post after getting warned at the Wolves-Thunder playoff game.
Josh Metellus' Instagram post after getting warned at the Wolves-Thunder playoff game. / Josh Metellus via Instagram

It's unclear what Metellus said to get the warning, but he captioned his post with "energy is a hell of a drug." The post also revealed what appears to be the laminated warning card issued to him, presumably by Target Center security.

The warning card reads as follows:

"You are being issued a warning card that the comments, gestures and/or behaviors that you have directed at players, coaches, game officials and/or other spectors constitute excessive verbal abuse and are in violation of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. This is the first and only warning that you will receive. If, after receiving this warning, you verbally abuse and player, coach, game official or spectator, you will be immediately ejected from the arena without refund."

For the record, there are no typos in that paragraph. The warning card clearly and incorrectly used "spectors" instead of "spectators" and later used "and" instead of "any" when warning about further verbal abuse.

Either way, Metellus apparently went too far as a fan supporting his Minnesota brethren.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.