The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely be in the market for a placekicker this week, but they probably shouldn't call up former Steelers kicker Jeff Reed because he seems to be enjoying retirement.
The 36-year-old was at the Vikings 14-3 Hall of Fame game win over the Steelers on Sunday and it appears that he had so much fun that police had to eject him from the game.
@bustedcoverage former steeler Jeff reed being thrown out of the hall of fame game for fighting pic.twitter.com/nH0z6tAe3x
— Timothy David (@OUtkean) August 10, 2015
According to several fans, the former Steelers player was ejected from the game after trying to pick a fight WITH A STEELERS FAN.
Just witnessed Jeff Reed get kicked out of the hall of fame game
— Nathan Maziarz (@nathan_maziarz) August 10, 2015
So I witnessed former Steelers kicker, Jeff Reed, get kicked out of the Hall of Fame game tonight. Par for the course, I guess.
— Ben Belden (@bbelden330) August 10, 2015
@chrislvsketchup he got into it with a fan who I'm pretty sure was a Steeler fan, so that's what I found to be so puzzling. Haha
— Ben Belden (@bbelden330) August 10, 2015
@colin_dunlap i am not trying to be famous. I just thought it was very weird for Jeff Reed to try to fight me. Im a steeler fan.
— Leroy Jenkins (@LRJenkinshungry) August 10, 2015
Reed played for the Steelers, so it's not exactly clear why he would pick a fight with a Steelers fan.
@bustedcoverage more photos of former steeler Jeff reed. He was not having it tonight pic.twitter.com/iydVTRd0bd
— Timothy David (@OUtkean) August 10, 2015
After Reed was asked to leave, several fans took pictures of the ex-kicker and at least one fan seemed to document Reed's entire night.
@DawgsByNature @OUtkean @bustedcoverage I just tweeted the same thing! pic.twitter.com/nGWKmWqhtk
— TomLade (@tomlade25) August 10, 2015
@DustinFox37 part 2: my buddy Jeff got a selfie with the sheriff talking to him pic.twitter.com/0ow23tv8KI
— TomLade (@tomlade25) August 10, 2015
@DustinFox37 just wait: part 3 he squirmed out of the cops arms but stopped to take a pic pic.twitter.com/5hsZtV77in
— TomLade (@tomlade25) August 10, 2015
@DustinFox37 part 4: he was meandering the parking lot by our cars and asked us if we wanted to go to the bar #SMH pic.twitter.com/dSd8tsbd5c
— TomLade (@tomlade25) August 10, 2015
In a statement made on Facebook, Reed did acknowledge that he left the game early, but he said he left because a fan was trying to pick a fight with him.
"I walked to my seat... a guy in his 40s challenged me, called me every name in the book, told me he's hated me since the day I signed, threatened me and told me I was worthless," Reed wrote. "As I saw fear in the faces of some young fans, I chose to go find 3 police officers so that I would not do something I'd regret."
At that point, Reed claims the officers asked him if he wanted the guy removed. Reed says that he turned that offer down and then decided to leave the game because it wasn't "overly exciting."
Reed also wished Shaun Suisham well. The current Steelers kicker tore his ACL while trying to make a tackle during the second half of Sunday's game.
As for Reed, he played in the NFL from 2002 thru 2010 and this entire Hall of Fame game story isn't a complete surprise given that he loved to party during his playing days. Reed was cited for breaking a paper towel dispenser in 2009 and at one point, also posed for the picture below.
Just because. #jeffreed #steelers #wewantyouback #punchingpapertoweldispenser #sheetz
A photo posted by Mark Meiers (@meiers_2013) onApr 7, 2014 at 10:19am PDT
(Wink of the CBS Eye to Deadspin)
