Philadelphia Eagles Fan Claims 'Dumb C***' Outburst Was Provoked

The Philadelphia Eagles fan who was captured on video over the weekend calling a Packers supporter a "dumb c***" has finally broken his silence ... claiming Wednesday his outburst was provoked.

Ryan Caldwell said in a statement to the New York Post the video that showed him going off on a female Packer backer at Sunday's playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field did not tell the full story.

Caldwell insists what took place just before his vulgar rant was "banter" between all parties. He then strongly implied that Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, egged him on.

"There are two sides to every story," Caldwell said. "The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation."

Nonetheless, Caldwell issued a serious mea culpa ... admitting his behavior was "unacceptable."

"I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words," Caldwell said, "and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended."

"I will live with this experience," he continued, "and I am certainly paying a personal price."

Caldwell has lost his job over the footage ... and our Eagles sources told us Wednesday afternoon that he's also been barred from attending events at Lincoln Financial Field going forward.