FILE – In this March 11, 2019, file photo, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook gets into a heated verbal altercation with fans in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, in Salt Lake City. A Utah Jazz fan who was banned for life from Vivint Smart Home Arena after allegedly yelling what Russell Westbrook claimed were “racial” and “inappropriate” remarks at him, has sued the Houston Rockets player and the Jazz, saying he was wrongly accused. The lawsuit, filed Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in 4th District Court in Utah County on behalf of Shane Keisel and his girlfriend Jennifer Huff, seeks $100 million in compensatory and punitive damages, alleging defamation and infliction of emotional distress. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
A Utah Jazz fan is suing for $100 million after being banned for life from the team’s Salt Lake City arena over what were called racial taunts directed at point guard Russell Westbrook.
The lawsuit says Shane Keisel denies making racial remarks while heckling Westbrook during a game in March. He says the high-profile incident has cost him his job and exposed him to violent online threats.
The Jazz stand by their decision to ban him. Team officials say they investigated what happened and will fight the lawsuit.
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