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Lindsey ThiryESPN
A lawyer filed a complaint Wednesday against Los Angeles Rams police officer Aaron Donald with Pittsburgh police, saying the defensive attack and others attacked his 26-year-old client in an afternoon club.
Attorney Todd J. Hollis said his client, De’Vincent Spriggs, needed 16 stitches and suffered a broken orbital bone, a broken nose, a contusion and a sprained or broken arm. The alleged attack took place around 3 a.m. Sunday, Hollis said, and the lawyer released a photo showing Spriggs with facial injuries and swelling.
According to Hollis, Spriggs accidentally hit Donald and an incident ensued inside the Boom Boom Room nightclub that prompted both sides to be asked to leave.
“When they came out, Mr. Donald approached Mr. Spriggs, and Mr. Spriggs was punched and attacked again, allegedly, by Mr. Donald and the people in his group,” Hollis told ESPN.
Hollis said his client provided information to Pittsburgh police about Wednesday’s incident.
Pittsburgh police said detectives are examining the complaint and the footage and are consulting with the prosecutor’s office to determine whether the allegations are justified.
The NFL said it would “analyze the issue to understand the facts,” but did not comment further. The Rams released a statement saying they were aware of the alleged incident involving Donald, who is three times NFL defensive player of the year and seven times the Pro Bowl with 85.5 career sacks.
“We are collecting more information and we will have no further comment at this time,” the Rams said.
Donald, 29, is originally from Pittsburgh and was a star college player at Pitt, where he often trains out of season. He also has several charitable efforts in the area.
Rams selected Donald with the 13th general election in the 2014 draft. He is in full six-year extension, with 135 million dollars.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.