FISTS OF FURY
Jets’ Revis charged in knockout of 2 men in brawl
A FADING NFL star could soon be wearing a jail jumpsuit on Revis Island — after two men were found unconscious following a clash with the Jets cornerback.
A 22-year-old man told police he recognized Darrelle Revis on a Pittsburgh streetcorner around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. He approached the 5-foot-11 star in the city’s South Side neighborhood, aske him if he was really Revis, and started following him, according to a police statement.
The man began recording a video of the encounter with his cell phone, he told cops.
Revis, 31, grabbed the phone and tried to delete the video, authorities said. When another man tried to help get the phone back, the 2009 AFC Defensive Player of the Year tossed it into the street.
A friend of Revis joined the group and stood up for the defensive star as a heated argument ensued, according to local news reports. The man recording the video and his 21-year-old pal were knocked out cold when police arrived. They told police they were punched by Revis, according to ESPN.
A police officer who drove by the area, which is packed with watering holes that shut down at 2 a.m., saw Revis speaking to two people. When he circled back around, two of them were knocked out and Revis was gone, sources told WTAE, a Pittsburgh television station.
“Witnesses state the two were unconscious for about 10 minutes,” the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety said.
The men were reportedly taken to a hospital, with one suffering broken bones around his eye, WTAE reported.
Pittsburgh police have filed aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and terroristic threats charges against the four-time All-Pro, according to online court documents.
Revis’ attorney, Blaine Jones, told ESPN that he was trying to reach his client by phone to arrange for him to surrender to police. Jones said Revis would turn himself in “rather soon.”
He also presented a different account of the melee.
Jones said Revis, in the area at the time to check on a piece of property he’s considering developing, was assaulted by five men. The lawyer said Revis, a Pennsylvania native, was treated at a local hospital after the encounter.
“Mr. Revis feared for his safety and retreated from the aggressors,” the lawyer said in a statement.
Police recovered the video from a phone belonging to one of the alleged victims.
A Jets spokesman said the team has heard from Revis and is aware of the situation.
“We’ve spoken to Darrelle. We’re aware of the incident,” he said. “We’ll have no further comment.”
Revis was drafted by the Jets in 2007.
He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots, where he won a Super Bowl ring in 2014, before returning to Gang Green.
He signed a five-year, $70 million contract with Jets before the 2015 season.
At the peak of his career — just years ago — Revis would shut down opposing receivers with such regularity it was said they were stranded on Revis Island. But his skills have diminished, with experts suggesting he move from cornerback to safety.
And his salary — in light of injuries and depleted skills — could end up with him getting cut from the Jets.