MLB News: Pirates staffer suspended after whipping fan during fight

A Pittsburgh Pirates stadium usher has been suspended after being seen using his belt to whip a fan during a fistfight at PNC Park on Sunday.

The video begins by showing the usher and fan standing face-to-face in a heated argument before the staffer punches the fan in the face multiple times. 

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Other fans are seen coming to break up the fight, but the pause is only temporary. 

Just seconds later, the fan is seen spitting on the usher, who then takes off his belt and whips the fan with it multiple times. 

Footage of the video was initially posted to TikTok. The original poster has deleted the footage, but it has been recirculated across social media.

“Following the conclusion of yesterday’s game, as the final few fans were exiting the ballpark, there was a verbal altercation between two male guests and a female food and beverage employee. At that time, the ballpark game-day employee seen in the video attempted to intervene on her behalf,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki told Fox News Digital. 

“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred following the conclusion of yesterday’s game between a PNC Park game-day employee and a guest. The employee’s behavior was entirely unacceptable, and he was immediately suspended. This incident is currently under further investigation.”

The incident came just days after another fan was severely injured during a Pirates game at PNC Park. 

Kavan Markwood, a 20-year-old ex-college football player, fell more than 20 feet over PNC Park’s right field wall during a game against the Chicago Cubs.

PIRATES FAN WHO SHOCKINGLY FLIPPED OVER WALL ONTO FIELD IDENTIFIED AS EX-COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER

The organizer of a GoFundMe page for Markwood shared an update on Saturday that he is improving.

“After everything he’s been through since the accident on Wednesday night, this progress feels nothing short of miraculous,” wrote organizer Jennifer Phillips, who once taught Markwood. “He still has a long road ahead of him, but today brought a moment of hope that we’ve all been holding onto.”

Amid all the chaos, the Pirates are trudging through a mediocre season. At 12-25, Pittsburgh sits in last place in the NL Central Division. 

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(Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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