And the update........Jeff Reed says the cops attacked him. Here's an idea moron....DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steelers' Reed disputes charges
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
By Dan Gigler and Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The agent for Steelers kicker Jeff Reed said yesterday that his client will contest multiple citations issued to Mr. Reed Sunday night after he was forced to the ground and arrested during a confrontation with police outside a North Side bar.
A spokesman for the NFL said the league also is investigating the incident, involving Mr. Reed and tight end Matt Spaeth, who was cited for disorderly conduct after a police officer said he saw Mr. Spaeth urinating in a parking lot.
Discuss this issue
Columnist Ron Cook says the Jeff Reed incident is an embarrassment to the Steelers. What do you think? Visit our community forum and share your comments about this issue.
Mr. Reed's Atlanta-based agent, Don Henderson, said that his client was wrongfully detained.
"We're contesting it," Mr. Henderson said. "It involved somebody else on the team, he got out to try to help and basically got attacked by the police. He was with his parents. He got out and tried to help and evidently they didn't want to hear that. ... It was somebody else trying to do something and Jeff ended up getting slammed in the middle."
Mr. Reed met with the Steelers yesterday to explain his side of the story, Mr. Henderson said.
Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said yesterday that the team "is still gathering details and will not have a comment until we have more information." The NFL is also investigating the incident, a league spokesman said.
According to police, the confrontation occurred around 9 p.m. Sunday outside McFadden's bar, several hours after Mr. Reed kicked two field goals in the Steelers' 27-14 victory over Cleveland at Heinz Field.
Police had been dispatched to the 200 block of North Shore Drive for an unrelated incident when the responding officers noticed a man, later identified as Mr. Spaeth, urinating outside a large, white SUV.
The officer was taking information from Mr. Spaeth to issue a citation when, police said, Mr. Reed got out of the passenger side of the vehicle.
He refused to get back into the vehicle, which was driven by his father. Instead, Mr. Reed put up his fists and got "into a fighter's stance," according to a police affidavit.
One officer put Mr. Reed in an arm lock while a second officer forced him to the ground. Mr. Reed continued to resist as the officers struggled to get his hands behind him to be put in cuffs, the affidavit said.
Police said Mr. Reed smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated.
Police issued a citation for simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was released at the scene to his father's custody, police said, and will receive a summons in the mail that will order him to court to face the charges.
Dave Ganser, the manager on duty at McFadden's, said that Mr. Reed and Mr. Spaeth had been in the bar before the incident occurred. Mr. Ganster characterized Mr. Reed as a regular patron of McFadden's and personal friend and said that Mr. Reed has never been the source of any problems.
"I think the incident is being blown out of proportion because he's a name that people know," Mr. Ganster said, adding, "There were two people Tased and five people arrested near our building on Sunday, and no one did a story on them."
It is the second time this year that Mr. Reed has had a run-in with police. Earlier this year in Westmoreland County, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after police said he damaged a paper towel dispenser and harassed employees at a Sheetz convenience store in New Alexandria in February.
In that incident, witnesses told police that Mr. Reed, 30, went into the store bathroom and then became infuriated that there were no towels in the dispenser. He began banging on the dispenser and hurling profanities at employees, even after leaving the store.
Mr. Reed received a summary citation and was fined $543.50, which included $210 in restitution to the store. The NFL fined Mr. Reed $10,000 for that incident.
Mr. Reed is in the final season of a four-year contract that will pay him $1,375,000 in 2009. He would become an unrestricted free agent if the Steelers do not re-sign him by March.
He first signed as a rookie free agent on Nov. 20, 2002, after a kicking tryout in the middle of the week at Heinz Field. He has been a dependable kicker, especially at home in what are often less-than-ideal circumstances for kickers with the tricky winds and the oftentimes sloppy surface at Heinz Field.
Mr. Reed has made 169 of 206 career field goal tries and ranks second in franchise history with 742 points, behind former kicker Gary Anderson with 1,343. He also has been a clutch kicker, making 22 of 25 field goal tries in the last two minutes of games and in overtime. He did miss two field goal tries in Chicago this year in a 3-point Steelers loss. He is 7 of 10 this season on field goal attempts.
Jim McKinnon contributed to this report. Dan Gigler can be reached at
dgigler@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette can be reached at
ebouchette@post-gazette.com.Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09293/1006810-66.stm#ixzz0UVC86GFU