Ex-NFL Player Zac Stacy Claims Ex ‘Staged’ Violent Assault Captured On Video

An ex-NFL player accused of assaulting the mother of his son told police that the attack — which was caught by her home surveillance cameras — was “staged” by his former girlfriend.

Zac Stacy, a former St. Louis Rams running back, was arrested on Nov. 18 and is facing aggravated battery and criminal mischief charges following the alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend Kristin Evans. 

Stacy, who was taken into custody at Orlando International Airport after getting off a flight from Nashville, told authorities that his Evans, whom he has a 5-month-old son with, set him up for financial gain.

The statement, which is contradicted by other video evidence, was captured by Orlando police officers’ body cameras. 

Under questioning, Stacy insisted that Evans was “playing victim."

“The whole thing was staged,”  Stacy said, according to the body camera footage reviewed by Oxygen.com. “All she’s trying to do is get money out of it. She got a reaction out of me. She knew I was down. She knew I was going through anxiety and depression. She knew I was trying to close this gap that’s between me and my son. She’s just upset that she got caught and she’s upset I’m not taking care of her like she expected — and now she took it this far.”

“I dropped everything to come down here and support the mother of my child in her last trimester and the baby,” he added. “I let her know I wasn’t trying to be with her or nothing like that. This is a case of just bitterness. That’s why she did this. The whole assault thing. She staged it. She set me up.”

The alleged incident unfolded on Nov. 13 at Kristin Evans’ home. Home surveillance footage of the encounter depicts Stacy throwing two punches at his ex-girlfriend’s head before hurling her head-first into a flatscreen television. 

Evans shared the short video clip on Instagram, which then went viral. She later turned the footage over to police.

"I was slapped, punched, literally picked up and thrown into my TV," Evans said in a court hearing to reconsider his bond conditions, according to News 13. "And then he picked me up and slammed me into my son's bouncy seat by my throat...This was not the first time that he's been violent with me. I am afraid for my safety and for my children's safety."

Evans, who'd previously said that she has been living in fear after Stacy posted bond, responded to Stacy’s statements to police on social media.

“It’s disappointing hearing the things Zac said in the police video but not surprising,” Kristin Evans said in a video uploaded to Instagram. “Abusers often try to deny, deflect, or justify their actions by placing blame on the victim and demoralizing them at the same time. This is just another form of abuse that survivors have to endure. It’s a terrifying reality knowing my abuser will never see his wrongdoings, it’s a constant threat to my psyche and physical well-being.”

“I never cheated, I never held our son from him, and I’m not responsible for his actions towards me,” Evans added in the post’s caption.

The former couple is currently in the midst of a civil paternity battle concerning time-sharing and visitation their their son, according to Stacy’s legal team.

Zac Stacy Photo: AP

Stacy’s comments in police custody also drew sharp ire from Evans’ attorneys.

“We are disappointed in Zac Stacy’s comments,” Tom Feiter told Oxygen.com in a statement. “There is simply no justification for what he did to Kristin Evans.”

On Wednesday, Stacy’s defense attorney, Thomas Luka, declined to comment on the body camera footage.

“I have not seen the video,” Luka told Oxygen.com. “At this time, at least at this moment, I’m not going to comment on any possible defenses in the case.”

Luka, who previously noted Stacy is suffering from some “pretty severe” mental issues, said his client hadn’t previously disclosed making any statements to police.

“I’m not aware of him making any statements to police as far as he's concerned, he doesn’t recall making any statements to police,” Luka added. “He or may not have been in his right mind when police actually arrested him.”

The Florida-based lawyer said that Stacy is currently half-way through a mental health program in Colorado.

Luka, who said he spoke with the former professional athlete last week, stated his client sounded “better.”

“This particular case is kind of one of those situations that’s a perfect storm of hot-button topic, which is domestic violence, an individual who played in the NFL — a public figure — and a viral video," Luka said.

"Then you throw in the media attention on top of that and Mr. Stacy has been suffering," he added. "He can’t turn on the television, he can’t turn on cable news, he can’t watch sports without him coming up.”

No court date has been set for Stacy’s case, according to his Luka.

Stacy played a total of three seasons in the NFL. He was drafted in 2013 by the St. Louis Rams and later played for the New York Jets.