Former Illini Chase Brown Can Move on From 'BeerGate'

NFL investigation determines drink spilled on Chase Brown by fan was an accident

Sep 29, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) reacts to his touchdown run against the Carolina Panthers during first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

For Cincinnati Bengals running back and former Illinois player Chase Brown, "BeerGate" is over.

On Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, a banner day for Brown – including a career-high 80 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over the Carolina Panthers – was dampened by a beverage that landed on him as he was walking off the field from a fan interaction.

On Thursday, the NFL announced that its investigation of the matter found that the spill wasn't intentional.

“The league’s review of the matter determined that portions of a drink were accidentally spilled on the Cincinnati player as Bengals’ fans attempted to catch the gloves he tossed to them,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement, via the Associated Press. “The league analyzed video of multiple angles from stadium security cameras and also social media.”

A fan in Carolina dumps a drink on Chase Brown after had his first multi-TD game of his career. Uncalled for. #Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/bibdCOa2c0

— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) September 29, 2024

Initial reports suggested that a beer had been deliberately dumped on Brown by a fan, which would be grounds for a league-wide stadium ban.

But Brown said in the immediate aftermath that he believed the liquid in question was Gatorade – and that, frankly, the type of drink hardly mattered.

"It looked like a blue liquid," Brown told Cincinnati WKRC. "I'm like, 'I'm about to get this jersey off anyway, and I'm super sweaty, so I'm going to have to shower anyway.'"

In any case, Brown kept a cool (if not dry) head about the incident.

"Honestly, I just try to ignore that kind of stuff," Brown said. "You hear some crazy stuff, especially as a player on a week-to-week basis. I didn't really see where it came from, so in my mind, I don't know if that's a kid or a grown man. I wasn't trying to react in any way that would put my career in [jeopardy]."