Green Bay police issues apology to AJ Dillon for soccer game incident

On Friday, Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis issued an apology to the Green Bay Packers' running back AJ Dillon due to an incident between him and a police officer during a soccer game at Lambeau Field.

The incident occurred during a friendly game between two European franchises, Manchester City and FC Bayern Munich, at Lambeau Field on Saturday, July 23. It was part of the teams' USA preseason tour where Dillon was present.

Davis apologized after Green Bay Police reviewed a video of a fight between an officer and Dillon, which occurred during the game break when the officer tried to stop Dillon from doing a "Lambeau Leap" into the stands.

According to ESPN, the officer tried to stop him by grabbing from behind, holding him by his shirt’s collar and pushing him away.

"I have sustained two allegations of GBPD policy violations by the officer involved and directed appropriate corrective action to be taken," Davis said.

"We do not provide further detail on personnel matters out of respect for the employee's due process rights."

On behalf of the officer, Davis expressed regret toward the treatment of Dillon, while emphasizing his commitment to serving the Green Bay community professionally.

According to Davis, the police department has directed “appropriate corrective action” to the officer involved in that incident with Dillon.

"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,” Davis said.

Davis did not disclose the identity of the officer.

Dillon, Packers' board respond to the incident

In response to the incident involving Dillon and the police officer, the Green Bay Packers board praised the police for their actions as they began their investigation.

"We appreciate the Green Bay Police Department's follow-up to the interaction that occurred at the soccer match, July 23, at Lambeau Field," the Packers said.

"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 gameday."

The franchise also praised how Dillon handled the situation, especially with the Green Bay police department.

"Additionally, we appreciate AJ Dillon's professionalism in handling the matter,” the Packers said in a statement.

As revealed by ESPN, when the video has gone viral on social media, Dillon tweeted his opinion of the incident and described the matter as “miscommunication between parties.”

“The @gbpolice are great people and I’m glad we have them down for our games to keep us safe,” Dillon tweeted. “Standing there in the pouring rain with all those people, it’s hard to know what’s going on with just one. All good.”

For the upcoming game of Week 3 of the 2022-2023 NFL regular season, Dillon is expected to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, September 25.