If a player does something that I deem unsportsmanlike, it gets penalized appropriately. It doesn't matter whether that unsportsmanlike act is directed towards another player, a coach, a fan, media member, etc.
Now, that doesn't mean I would stick around during a brawl to catch a player doing something wrong. Once that brawl starts I'm out of there, and game management can deal with it.
As for this situation specifically, I might be inclined to penalize the player for getting in the fan's face and escalating things. I've seen plenty of taunting from fans towards players, but that doesn't give the player the right to retaliate in any way.
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