Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy has reportedly been ordered to pay police officer Roland Butler $55,000 as the result of a 2016 bar fight.
According to ESPN, the altercation took place at the Recess Lounge in Philadelphia at around 2:30am on February 7, 2016, after Butler, who was off duty at the time, and McCoy's friend got into an argument over a bottle of champagne. The bottle in question was ultimately knocked to the ground and shattered, leading to a melee.
In the video footage obtained by TMZ, McCoy can be seen throwing a punch at Butler while he was on the ground. The officer sustained a number of injuries, including a broken nose, broken ribs and a broken thumb, which he claims kept him out of work for several months.
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According to ESPN, McCoy and his friend, former University of Pittsburgh running back Tamarcus Porter, argued that they had been acting in self defense but the arbitrator in the case, Annette Rizzo, found "no basis" for such a claim by McCoy or anyone else.
Per ESPN:
In her award letter describing the incident, arbitrator Annette Rizzo, a retired judge, said a "melee" and "free for all" broke out inside the nightclub.
Butler, Rizzo wrote, was "taken to the ground and punched and kicked multiple times, sustaining injury, including, but not limited, to a broken nose, lacerations to the face, broken ribs, a broken thumb and contusions."
Each were ordered to pay Butler $55,000. ESPN reports that McCoy has already forked over the money, but Porter has yet to pay.
