*A rep for Florida State quarterback De’Andre Johnson claims the woman he punched in a Tallahassee bar called him the N-word before things got physical, reports TMZ.
Johnson’s rep says the slur was used after he bumped into her at the bar, with her responding, “Get off me you f**king n**ger.”
According to TMZ, Johnson’s rep says witnesses at the bar claim they heard the racial slur, and are willing to testify in court.
Video of the incident, which was captured by security cameras and released Monday by the state’s attorney’s office, shows Johnson trying to push past the woman, who was waiting to order at the bar. The woman turned toward Johnson and raised a fist. Johnson grabbed that arm. The woman raised her knee and swung at Johnson with her left arm, and then he punched her in the face.
According to the Tallahassee Police Department incident report, the woman, an FSU student, suffered bruising near her left eye, swelling of the left cheek and upper lip, and a small cut near the bridge of her nose.
State’s attorney Willie Meggs, who decided to charge Johnson after seeing video of the incident, said the woman still had a black eye when he met with her last week.
Johnson’s family has retained prominent criminal defense and trial attorney Jose Baez, who is best known for obtaining an acquittal in the Casey Anthony murder trial in Orlando, Florida.
The athlete says he’s “extremely embarrassed” about the situation and has apologized for socking the woman, while insisting that she was the initial aggressor, according to TMZ.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher cut the freshman quarterback from the team Monday night, hours after the state’s attorney’s office released the video.
Johnson, who was named Florida’s “Mr. Football” as a senior at First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida, was indefinitely suspended from the team in June. He was charged with misdemeanor battery for striking the 21-year-old woman on June 24. He surrendered to Tallahassee police on June 30 and was released on $500 bond.
Florida State president John Thrasher, in a statement released Tuesday, said he fully supported the actions Fisher took to suspend and then dismiss Johnson from the team.
“While it is always important to adhere to due process, having now seen the physical altercation captured on video, there is no question in my mind that Coach Fisher made the correct decisions,” Thrasher said. “I expect all students at Florida State University, including student-athletes, to adhere to the highest level of conduct. I have no tolerance for the kind of behavior exhibited in this case. Florida State University was forged from an outstanding college for women and has a long tradition of being a caring community that demands students be treated with dignity and respect.”
The state’s attorney’s office said Baez entered a written not guilty plea on his client’s behalf on July 2. Johnson’s first court appearance is scheduled in Leon County Court on July 22.
“While it is clear from the video that De’Andre Johnson was not the initial aggressor, his family wants to take the lead in helping him learn and grow from this experience,” Baez said Monday in a statement. “He is currently participating in community service and faith-based programs focused on battered women, substance abuse and the empowerment of children.
“De’Andre is extremely embarrassed by this situation and would like to express his heartfelt apologies to everyone, including those who were directly affected, Coach Fisher and his teammates, the entire Florida State University community, as well as his family and friends.”
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