Patriots Hall of Famer and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest was arrested on Monday following the emergence of a video showing him attacking a man on Dec. 9 and assaulting another man with a glass bottle.
Why Was Willie McGinest Arrested?
Reports say the former New England Patriots linebacker was arrested on Monday and was suspended from on-air appearances by the NFL Network.
The video shows the former NFL great and a “goon squad” putting the beatdown on some guy after approaching the man as he’s seated in restaurant booth and exchanging words.
BREAKING: Former #Patriots star and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest has been arrested for felony assault after he beat the hell out of a man at an L.A. hotspot earlier this month, punching the guy in the face and later bashing him in the head with a bottle, video👇 pic.twitter.com/TIfa8o8NHi
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 19, 2022
ProFootballTalk was able to speak to a representative of NFL Network about the situation regarding Willie McGinest.
“We are aware of the incident and the video, which is disturbing. Willie McGinest will not appear on NFL Network while we review the matter,” a spokesman for NFL Network said to Pro Football Talk.
Why Did Willie McGinest Smash Bottle Over Guy’s Head?
TMZ put up the video of McGinest fighting another man. In this video, McGinest is shown punching a guy in the face, and later smashing him in the head with a glass bottle.
This fight took place at Delilah in West Hollywood, according to TMZ.
Before the fight took place, you can see McGinest walking up to the man and exchanging words with him, before slamming a left hook into his face. There were at least three other men in the video who could be seen jumping into the action almost immediately. While others tried to break the fight up between the two, Willie’s people and the other man fighting continued to scuffle for about 30 seconds.
The man who was attacked in the fight with McGinest has yet to be identified.
Willie McGinest Arrested And Booked For Assault
After McGinest was arrested on Monday, he was booked at 7:30 a.m. on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. McGinest’s bond was set at $30,000, which he posted bond the same morning.
According to USA Today, McGinest turned himself in to authorities after learning there was a warrant for his arrest.
On Tuesday, McGinest made his first public remarks about the incident, posting on Instagram that “things aren’t always how they seem at first glance.”
Some Tweeters has a field day with that Tweet, because the video is pretty clear.
Who’s going to tell Willie McGinest there’s pretty good video footage of what happened pic.twitter.com/C6PQBbR7z3
— Lucy Burdge (@LucilleBurdge) December 20, 2022
Is Willie McGinest Still With NFL Network?
McGinest will not be appearing on the air for NFL Network, as he has been suspended indefinitely.
McGinest was drafted to the New England Patriots in the first round in 1994 and left the Patriots in 2005. He spent the last three years of his career playing for the Cleveland Browns.
Since retiring, has been working for NFL Network as an NFL analyst. He previously worked for ESPN and Fox as well.
Is This Willie McGinest’s First Arrest?
This isn’t the first time McGinest has come under fire from the law. Back in 1991 when McGinest played for USC, he and former teammates Michael Jones and Jason Oliver were charged with sexually assaulting a female graduate student inside a dormitory.
The jury found all three of them to be not guilty of the charges after a trial that lasted five weeks.
Apparently, the jurors didn’t believe the accuser’s account, and there was no corroboration from the other witnesses, per the Los Angeles Times.
That portion of his past has since been put far behind him, as he went on to have an extremely successful pro football career and analyst career. But with the recent events that have happened, don’t be surprised if the situation from 1991 resurfaces.
McGinest is set to appear in court on Wednesday.
