Cardinals' Kyler Murray hit in the face by Raiders fan after Week 2 win, police investigating

Jacob Camenker

Cardinals' Kyler Murray hit in the face by Raiders fan after Week 2 win, police investigating image

Kyler Murray was exultant in wake of the Cardinals' improbable come-from-behind overtime victory against the Raiders in Week 2.

After all, Murray had played a key role in the comeback. The talented quarterback led the Cardinals to 16 fourth-quarter points that included a game-tying touchdown and 2-point conversion as time expired in regulation.

Naturally, Murray wanted to celebrate after cornerback Byron Murphy returned a fumble recovery 59 yards for the winning touchdown, breaking an NFL overtime record for the longest scoop and score. He opted to do so by running over to a Cardinals fan he saw sitting in the stands at Las Vegas' stadium.

MORE: How Kyler Murray used his legs to spark Cardinals' comeback win over Raiders

From there, things nearly turned ugly.

Murray was hit in the face with an open hand by a Raiders supporter while he was interacting with some Cardinals fans in the section. The quarterback appeared momentarily stunned by the swipe but was uninjured. He then looked angrily into the stands for the fan who hit him. Meanwhile, onlookers in the section restrained the fan.

That fan may soon be in trouble. According to the Associated Press, police are now investigating the altercation between the fan and Murray. The fan could face charges based on the complaint filed.

MORE: Byron Murphy nearly pulled a DeSean Jackson on Arizona's game-winning TD

If the fan does face charges, it will likely be for simple battery. Why? Because the swipe that hit Murray didn't cause an apparent injury. If that remains true, the offending party may receive up to six months in prison and $1,000 in fines, per the Las Vegas Defense Group.

The AP reports that police spokesperson Officer Larry Hadfield "did not name Murray as the reporting person" for the complaint. However, he confirmed that the allegation in the complaint claimed that "a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player."

Thus far, the police have not yet been able to identify the fan. It's unclear how long it may take them to locate a potential suspect.

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Murray hasn't yet addressed the situation. He wasn't asked about it after the game on Sunday — few had seen the incident play out in the aftermath of the excitement — but he will almost certainly be asked about it at practice this week.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.