Darrelle Revis has been charged with four first-degree felonies and one misdemeanor, according to court documents. They stem from a street fight on Pittsburgh’s South Side that left two men unconscious early Sunday morning.
Darrelle Revis charged: What does it mean for future with Jets?
Now comes the next big question: What exactly is the fallout? Could the Jets’ star cornerback face serious jail time if convicted?
“He’s likely looking at anything from probation to a relatively low state prison sentence upon conviction of the most serious charges,” defense attorney David Zuckerman, of the Pittsburgh-based Zuckerman Law Firm, told NJ Advance Media on Friday.
Revis faces two counts of felony aggravated assault, one count of felony robbery, one count of felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and one count of misdemeanor making terroristic threats.
The assault and robbery charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, and terroristic threat charge has a maximum sentence of five years, said Zuckerman.
How can Jets replace Revis?
But he said it’s highly unlikely Revis gets anywhere close to the maximum sentence because he has no significant criminal record, by all accounts. He has not been involved in any reported criminal incidents during his 10-year NFL career.
“Those charges are going to be hard to prove,” said Zuckerman, who added he has not viewed police documents or talked to the alleged victims. “Did he have the intent to cause serious, permanent injury to those individuals? I could see this resolving in a simple assault. If he has no record, it could very well end up going into a diversionary program on misdemeanors.”
A diversionary program — which usually requires the victim to sign off — is a voluntarily agreed probation period of up to two years.
Occasionally, the offender must complete courses as part of the program. After completing the program, charges can be expunged from a criminal record. In order for the diversionary program to be an option, Revis’ charges must be misdemeanors, said Zuckerman.
There are conflicting stories about what exactly happened early Sunday morning. One paints Revis as the victim, and the other as the aggressor.
Per Blaine Jones, Revis’ attorney, Revis “was 1,000 percent the victim” after being assaulted by a “heavily intoxicated man.” After failing to settle the situation, Revis turned to walk away. At this time, Jones said, several people in the man’s group pursued Revis, who defended himself before leaving the scene.
Here’s what the police say, via a statement released Thursday night:
The male began recording the interaction on his cellphone and continued following Revis. At some point, Revis snatched the cellphone away and attempted to delete the video. Another 21-year-old male from Ross Township attempted to help the 22-year-old retrieve the cellphone. Revis then tossed the phone onto the roadway. A verbal argument followed. A male came to assist Revis. Both the 22-year-old and the 21-year-old state they were punched then remember waking up to talk to police. Witnesses state the two were unconscious for about 10 minutes.
Police had not spoken to Revis for his side of the story yet, Jones said Thursday night. Zuckerman said this isn’t uncommon in a situation where one person leaves the scene, as Revis did, along with an unknown male who came to his aid, according to the police complaint.
Revis sought medical attention after the incident, per Jones, but he wouldn’t go into detail about the nature of Revis’ supposed injuries.
One of the alleged victims sustained broken bones around his left eye, according to the police complaint. At least eight men were involved in the altercation scene, to at least some degree.
With a warrant out for his arrest, Revis is expected to turn himself in within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Revis starred at the University of Pittsburgh before the Jets drafted him in 2007. They might cut him this offseason — a move that would create $9.3 million in salary cap space, with $6 million in dead money attached. He is due to count $15.3 million against their cap in 2017, but that number is way too high for him at this stage of his career.
Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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