The man who filed a criminal complaint accusing Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald of assault is now offering an apology to the NFL star.
Through his attorney Todd J Hollis, De’Vinzent Spriggs says he mistook Donald for his attacker during the skirmish outside the Boom Boom Room, a Pittsburgh-area nightclub.
“I wanted to make this statement public. And to extend an apology to Aaron for what he’s gone through, but I clearly know this was not him,” said Hollis, per Pittsburgh’s KDKA CBS affiliate.
This comes shortly after Donald’s attorney Casey White claimed video and eyewitnesses at the scene will refute assault claims alleging Donald was responsible for Spriggs’ injuries.
Spriggs filed his criminal complaint in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, alleging that he needed 16 stitches and suffered a broken orbital bone, broken nose, concussion and a significant arm injury in a 3am bar fight on Sunday.
At the time, Spriggs claimed he accidentally bumped into Donald, who immediately became enraged, and things turned physical.
White told ESPN on Friday that Spriggs started the fracas by digging his elbow into Donald’s back, then swinging a beer bottle over Donald’s head.
“He turned around and it’s this Mr. Spriggs... and Aaron goes, ‘What’s up?’ and Mr. Spriggs starts yelling belligerently, ‘Did I mean to? Did I mean to?’ He keeps repeating, it’s kind of nonsensical, but he keeps yelling, ‘Did I mean to?’ It’s apparent to Aaron and it’s apparent to all the witnesses that is intoxicated,” White said.
“As he ducks, somebody from behind grabs him to stop him from interacting with this guy, Mr. Spriggs, so he holds Aaron back in a sense,” White said.
“At that point, that’s when other people come to Aaron’s aid and defend him by removing, so to speak, Mr. Spriggs from the area where he is punched, and he is fighting; it’s a mutual fight at this point between other individuals who Aaron does not really know.”
The Rams issued a statement confirming they were aware of the incident and were gathering more details.
Donald, 29, was a college star at Pitt and a first-round draft pick of the Rams in 2014. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year works out in Pittsburgh in the offseason.
 
Bears sign WR Marquise Goodwin
Marquise Goodwin is changing NFL teams for the third time since he last played a game.
The 30-year-old free agent wide receiver signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears on Friday. Terms of the deal were not announced.
Goodwin was traded by the San Francisco 49ers to the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2020, but he later opted out of the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic. His rights reverted to the 49ers because he didn’t play for Philadelphia, and the 49ers cut him last month.
Goodwin spent three seasons in San Francisco after playing his first four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft.
In 75 career games, Goodwin has 140 receptions for 2,323 yards and 13 touchdowns. His best season came in 2017, when he had 56 catches for 962 yards and two TDs for the 49ers.





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