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As the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New England Patriots Thursday night, it wasn't the end of the issues surrounding the team. It was reported Steelers tight end coach James Daniel assaulted a Patriots fan leaving the field after the team's 28-21 loss.
On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers found these findings to be completely false, and team President Art Rooney II released the following statement regarding the situation:
"We have conducted an internal inquiry into the alleged incident involving Assistant Coach James Daniel at the Patriots stadium Thursday night. After interviews with Coach Daniel as well as other personnel who witnessed the alleged encounter, we find no corroboration that Coach Daniel was involved in any physical altercation with a fan.
Coach Daniel has worked as an assistant coach for the Steelers for the past 12 seasons. We have a high level of confidence in his character and are confident that any further investigation of this incident will reveal he was not part of any assault or misconduct involving a Patriots fan."
Strong words from the team showing full support of their coach. It is unclear if the Patriots, or the fan who claimed to be assaulted, will further any type of investigation, but the Steelers' statement shows full support of their staff. One of the issues surrounding the reported altercation could stem from the fact the Patriots failed to provide any type of security for the Steelers coaching staff following the game.
Also from @gerrydulac, #Patriots failed to provide security for #Steelers coaches walking through fans at halftime. Shocking.
— Neal Coolong (@NealCoolong) September 13, 2015
Whether there are any more reports stemming from this issue have yet to be determined, but don't expect the Steelers to terminate their coach in the process.