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Ex-Patriots Linebacker Willie McGinest Jr. Charged With Felony For Allegedly Beating Man At West Hollywood Club
Willie McGinest Jr. and two other men were allegedly caught on CCTV mercilessly beating a patron of Delilah night club earlier this month. The Patriots Hall-of-Famer turned himself in to police in Los Angeles on Monday and posted $30,000 bail.
Former New England Patriots Linebacker Willie McGinest Jr. was arrested on a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon after he was allegedly caught bashing a patron of a West Hollywood nightclub over the head with a wine bottle on CCTV footage.
McGinest, 51, turned himself in to police around 7:30 a.m. on Monday and was quickly released after posting $30,000 in bail, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sergeant Sara Klinkalong told the Los Angeles Times. He is slated to return to court on Wednesday.
Witnesses identified the Hall of Famer as one of the people involved in the alleged crime at Delilah on Santa Monica Boulevard, according to the department. Further details have not yet been released, and Oxygen.com was unable to reach sheriff's officials for comment by press time.
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In footage of the incident obtained by TMZ Sports, the six-foot-five former linebacker can allegedly be seen walking between tables at the crowded club with two other large men, then bending at the waist to say something to a seated man. As the man begins to stand, McGinest suddenly hooks him in the face, then holds him down as the other men ambush him.
Patrons first rush away from the flurry of activity, then a few attempt in vain to hold the attackers back. McGinest allegedly can be seen continuing to throw punches at the man's sides even as he's pulled away. At one point during the melee, he picks up a wine bottle and appears to slam it into the man's head repeatedly. He tosses the bottle onto a couch before walking off the scene.
The group of men all leave the scope of the CCTV camera after attacking the man for about two minutes. It's unclear whether police apprehended them at the scene, or whether the other two attackers have been arrested.
McGinest won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, and holds the all-time record of postseason sacks for the team with 16. He was a first-round pick in the 1994 NFL draft and played 15 seasons in the league before retiring. He was inducted into the team's hall of fame in 2015.
The NFL Network has removed him from his current position as an analyst in light of his arrest, according to Yahoo! Sports.
“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 told the outlet.
This is not McGinest's first run-in with the law. In 1990, during his tenure at USC, he was accused of dragging a 23-year-old woman into a dorm room and sexually assaulting her alongside two of his teammates. He was acquitted after a five-week trial, detailed in the Los Angeles Times.
