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New York Jets cornerback and former University of Pittsburgh standout Darrelle Revis is facing charges in connection with an altercation on the South Side, police said.
Blaine Jones, attorney for Revis, dismissed the allegations against the Aliquippa High School graduate who has no prior criminal record, insisting that “if any punches were thrown, they were thrown in self-defense.”
“You think Darrelle Revis would go down to the South Side and start throwing punches? Nothing even close to that,” Jones told reporters in Bridgeville on Thursday night. “Why would he want to get into a fight and possibly jeopardize his career?”
Revis “was not the aggressor that night,” Jones said. “He was 1,000 percent the victim.”
Attorney Blaine Jones: Darrelle Revis ‘was not the aggressor that night. He was 1,000 percent the victim.’ https://t.co/jVhvgj3yOo @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/BPDhUCAysZ
— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) February 17, 2017
Attorney Blaine Jones: Darrelle Revis ‘was not the aggressor that night. He was 1,000 percent the victim.’ https://t.co/jVhvgj3yOo @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/BPDhUCAysZ
About 2:43 a.m. Sunday, Pittsburgh police officers responded to the intersection of South 23rd and East Carson streets for a report that two men had been knocked unconscious.
A 22-year-old man from Kittanning was walking along East Carson Street when he spotted a man who resembled Revis, 31, police said.
The man asked Revis if he was indeed the NFL cornerback, and Revis responded that he was. The Kittanning man then began recording on his cellphone the interaction with Revis and followed him, police said.
Revis grabbed the phone and attempted to delete the video, police said. Another man, a 21-year-old from Ross, attempted to help the 22-year-old retrieve the cellphone, police said. That is when Revis tossed the phone onto the roadway, authorities said.
A verbal argument followed, and another man tried to assist Revis, police said.
According to Jones, the altercation began when a “heavily intoxicated” man “shoulder-checked” Revis as he walked by in a group of four to five people. Revis was alone, according to Jones.
Jones said Regis told the group, “Listen, my name is Darrelle Revis, I’m a football player, I don’t want any problems.”
“Part of the group was receptive to what Darrelle said, the other part (was saying), ‘Oh, you think you’re big, you think you’re better than us?’ etc. etc.” Jones said.
Revis “decided that he can’t reason with these guys, so he actually turns and walks away, and then that’s when they pursue him,” said Jones.
“He tried to retreat,” Jones continued. “He did everything he could in his power to try to get the situation to die down, to de-escalate the situation that the other group started.”
The Kittanning man and the Ross man told police they were punched, authorities said. The next thing they remember is waking up and talking to police.
Witnesses told police that the men were unconscious for about 10 minutes. Police viewed the cellphone video and confirmed that the person was Revis.
Jones said he has not seen the footage but is concerned it may have only documented the very last portion of the altercation.
Revis was treated by a doctor for injuries, Jones said. He did not elaborate, citing medical privacy reasons.
Police said they plan to file charges robbery, terroristic threats, conspiracy and aggravated assault against Revis.
Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at nlindstrom@tribweb.com.
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