Green Bay Police Apologize to Packers' AJ Dillon over Incident at July Soccer Game
September 24, 2022
Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis apologized to AJ Dillon on Friday following an investigation into an interaction the Green Bay Packers running back had with with an officer during a soccer game at Lambeau Field in July.
Davis said in a statement, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky:
"I have sustained two allegations of GBPD policy violations by the officer involved and directed appropriate corrective action to be taken. We do not provide further detail on personnel matters out of respect for the employee's due process rights.
"I apologize to Mr. Dillon for the way he was treated. We appreciate the strong relationship we have with the Packers organization, and the GBPD remains committed to working with them along with the entire Green Bay community to provide the best and most professional police service possible."
During a game between the Premier League's Manchester City and Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich on July 23, an officer was caught on video grabbing Dillon from behind by his shirt as he tried to jump into the stands to do the iconic Lambeau Leap during a rain delay.
After being grabbed by the officer, Dillon was eventually allowed to leap into the stands.
The 24-year-old shared more about his interaction with the officer on Twitter, explaining that there was a "miscommunication" between the two.
AJ “Quadzilla” Dillon @ajdillon7Just miscommunication between parties, the <a href="https://twitter.com/GBPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GBPolice</a> are great people and I’m glad we have them down there for our games to keep us safe. Standing there in the pouring rain with all those people it’s hard to know what’s going on with just one. All good 🤝🫶🏽 <a href="https://t.co/xCKPhoJlWK">https://t.co/xCKPhoJlWK</a>
The Packers also released a statement on Friday addressing the Green Bay Police Department's investigation into the incident:
"We appreciate the Green Bay Police Department's follow-up to the interaction that occurred at the soccer match, July 23, at Lambeau Field. We respect their process in reviewing the situation and its conclusions. We value our partnership with the Department and appreciate all they do in working with the Packers to ensure public safety at Lambeau Field events, including gamedays.
"Additionally, we appreciate AJ Dillon's professionalism in handling the matter."
Dillon was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Boston College. In 30 games with the franchise across three seasons, he has rushed for 1,151 yards and eight touchdowns, in addition to catching 42 passes for 386 yards and two scores.
Dillon serves as Green Bay's backup running back behind Aaron Jones. He's under contract with the franchise through the 2023 campaign.