A former University of Pittsburgh football player selected in the NFL Draft over the weekend has been charged in relation to an incident at a bar on the South Side area of downtown Pittsburgh.
Rashad Weaver, 23, who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans at No. 135 overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Saturday (May 1), was charged with one count of simple assault, according to a criminal complaint filed in Pittsburgh's magisterial district court Friday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
According to the criminal complaint, a woman, identified as Demetria Navjelis, lying on the ground surrounded by a group of people when police arrived to the scene on South 17th Street between East Carson and Bingham streets at 2:28 a.m. on April 18.
Individuals at the scene said Navjelis was punched by a large man, later identified as Weaver, who had left before officers arrived. Navejlis was checked by a responding medic at the scene before being released.
A witness told police she saw Weaver punch Navjelis, while another said she didn't see the punch but did see Navjelis fall to the ground.
Officer Anderson O'Kelly noted in the criminal complaint that Navjelis didn't have an injury consistent with a punch to the head at the time of the incident. The complaint states that Weaver and Navjelis reportedly got into an argument at the Foxtail bar prior to the incident.
O'Kelly and other officers separated Weaver and Navjelis after he said she spilled a drink on him, which she later admitted to throwing at Weaver during the argument.
Prior to both parties leaving the bar, Weaver reportedly told "officers on scene that he had no problem hitting a female if they needed it," according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Post-Gazette.
Officer O'Kelly made contact with Navjelis on April 25, who said she was admitted to Ohio Valley Hospital on April 22 because she was vomiting and was diagnosed with a concussion, according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Post-Gazette.
Weaver is scheduled to appear in a preliminary hearing at Pittsburgh Municipal Court on October 5.
Weaver, a consensus All-American, was the second of six former Pittsburgh football players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft over the weekend, the most of any ACC school. The 23-year-old recorded 14.5 tackles for loss, averaging an ACC best 1.61 tackles for loss per game, as well as 12 quarterback hurries, 7.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
You can read the Post-Gazette's full report here.
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