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Lindsey ThiryESPN
A lawyer filed a criminal complaint against Los Angeles pass-rusher Aaron Donald on Wednesday with Pittsburgh police, saying the defense attack and others assaulted his 26-year-old client at an after-hours club last weekend.
Attorney Todd J. Hollis said his client, De’Vincent Spriggs, needed 16 stitches and had a broken spine, a broken nose, concussion and a sprained or broken arm. The alleged attack took place around 3 a.m. Sunday, Hollis said, and the attorney released a photo showing Spriggs with facial injuries and swelling.
According to Hollis, Spriggs accidentally bumped into Donald and an incident occurred at the Boom Boom Room nightclub that caused both parties to be asked to leave.
“When they got outside, Mr. Donald approached Mr. Spriggs and Mr. Spriggs was punched and attacked again by Donald and the individuals who were part of his group,” Hollis told ESPN.
Hollis said his client provided information to Pittsburgh police on Wednesday about the incident.
Pittsburgh police said detectives were reviewing the complaint and video recordings and consulting with the district attorney’s office to determine if charges were justified.
The NFL said it would “look into the matter to understand the facts” but had no further comment. The Rams issued a statement saying they were aware of the alleged incident in which Donald was involved. He is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time Pro Bowl pick with 85.5 career pockets.
“We are gathering more information and will not comment further at this time,” the Rams said in a statement.
Donald, 29, is a native of Pittsburgh and was a star player in Pitt, where he trains regularly during the off-season. He also has several charities in the area.
The Rams picked Donald with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He is in the midst of a $ 135 million extension for six years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.