To one extreme, this could be a case of "an unsolicited pat on the rear" being perceived by the offender as "a high five" and to the offended "a disturbing invasion or personal space."

On other extreme it could be he "chucked a tennis ball and it broke an office window." Everyone's perception these days of the extent/effect of any offense seems to broad that without details... what's the point of articles like these?

The hiring process is so onerous that I don't think it's believable when someone says they were fired over a single incident. Generally there's a pattern of counter-productive behaviour.

How does a high five morph into a pat on the rear? Even if my co-worker was about 10 feet tall that's still terrible hand eye coordination.

LOL! My comment is more on the perception disconnect that can take place. When I was a teenager I didn't yet have the experiences (being told what is or isn't appropriate and why) to know what was not ok like that.

Yeah he's already been fired, if its such a simple little thing what's the worst that could come from actually stating it.