Reports: Jets LB Lorenzo Mauldin Charged With Assault After Turning Himself In To Police
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin turned himself in to police Wednesday and was charged with misdemeanor assault, according to multiple reports.
Mauldin, 24, is accused of punching a man in the face after he accidentally spilled Champagne on the football player at the Highline Ballroom in Chelsea on April 2.
If convicted, Mauldin faces up to a year in jail. He is due in court in August.
The alleged victim, Jose Lopez, 22, has filed a lawsuit against Mauldin, saying the 6-foot-4, 259-pound linebacker attacked him "without just cause," the New York Post reported. The newspaper obtained a photo of Lopez with a black eye and severe swelling on the left side of his face.
Mauldin was a third-round pick by the Jets when came out of Louisville in 2015. Last season, he played in 11 games, starting three, and had 16 tackles, 2½ sacks and one interception.
Mauldin's arrest marks the fourth off-the-field incident the Jets have had to deal with this offseason.
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Cornerback Darrelle Revis was arrested in February following a street altercation with two men in Pittsburgh. The Jets released him two weeks later. All charges against Revis were later dropped.
In early May, wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami and charged with resisting arrest with violence and obstruction of justice. Anderson is accused of pushing a police officer and fighting with security after being asked to leave the concert.
And the NFL is investigating after video surfaced earlier this month showing defensive end Leonard Williams restraining linebacker Darron Lee, allegedly from a woman he was having a heated exchange with. A witness claimed on Twitter that he saw Lee "manhandle her and call her names."