Charles Barkley: Athletes 'have nothing to gain' when confronting hecklers
Charles Barkley has some advice for professional athletes on how to deal with hecklers: walk away.
"You gotta be careful man, 'cause you can't hit a fan. Because they're just gonna sue you," Barkley told TMZ Sports. "You have nothing to gain. I mean, if you hit a fan, you're going to lose a lot of money, plain and simple.
"First of all, most of the fans are amazing. But there's a certain fanbase that are crazy and you just got to walk away."
The NBA Hall of Famer's comments came while responding to a question about Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, who was caught on video threatening to fight a fan during Thursday's game against the Tennessee Titans.
Barkley has had his share of run-ins with hecklers. A New York man sued Barkley in 1996 for allegedly punching him several times in the face and head during a scuffle at a bar. The following year, Barkley was arrested for throwing another man through a plate-glass window in Orlando.