Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo is arrested for assault after ‘grabbing Olympian girlfriend Alysha Newman by the arms and pushing her to the ground during fight at casino’
- Chickillo, 26, was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning after police responded to a disturbance at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
- Upon officers arriving, Chickillo and girlfriend Alysha Newman are said to have given conflicting reports of what happened in the build up to the dispute
- Newman, a star pole vaulter, says the pair began arguing inside the resort’s casino over table games before returning to their room where it turned physical
- Newman, 25, says her boyfriend grabbed her ‘by the biceps and forced her against a wall and door’, leaving her with visible injuries
- Chickillo, however, says Newman assaulted him first by punching him in the head which prompted him to push her down to the floor
- He was later released on a $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on October 30
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly assaulted his Olympian girlfriend Alysha Newman during an argument inside their hotel room at a south-western Pennsylvania gambling resort, police say.
The 26-year-old back up outside linebacker was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning after police responded to a disturbance at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort at 1:40am.
Upon officers arriving, Chickillo and Newman are said to have given conflicting reports of what happened in the build up to the dispute.
According to Newman – a star pole vaulter who competed in the 2016 Olympics – the pair began arguing inside the resort’s Lady Luck Casino over table games before returning to their room where the argument turned physical.
Newman, 25, says her boyfriend grabbed her ‘by the biceps and forced her against a wall and door’, leaving her with visible injuries.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly assaulted his Olympian girlfriend Alysha Newman during an argument inside their hotel room at a south-western Pennsylvania gambling resort, police say
According to Newman, a star pole vaulter who competed in the 2016 Olympics, the pair began arguing inside the resort’s Lady Luck Casino over table games before returning to their room where the argument turned physical. Newman, 25, says her boyfriend grabbed her ‘by the biceps and forced her against a wall and door’, leaving her with visible injuries
Chickillo, however, says Newman assaulted him first by punching him in the head which prompted the 255-pound football player to push the Canadian athlete down to the floor in an attempt to restrain her.
Newman admits to striking Chickillo in the head but insists it happened only after he threw her to the floor, a police report shows.
When troopers arrived, they said they found redness on Ms. Newman’s biceps with bruises starting to show.
Newman also claims he smashed her $900 iPhone before she locked herself in the bathroom where she waited for police to arrive.
Chickillo, who has missed the most of the NFL season with a foot injury, was arrested at the scene and charged with simple assault, property damage and harassment, records show.
He was later released on a $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on October 30.
Meanwhile Newman was cited for harassment, police said.
Chickillo, however, says Newman assaulted him first by punching him in the head which prompted the 255-pound football player to push the Canadian athlete down to the floor in an attempt to restrain her. Newman admits to striking Chickillo in the head but insists it happened only after he threw her to the floor, a police report shows
The 26-year-old back up outside linebacker was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning after police responded to a disturbance at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (above) at 1:40am
Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten confirmed the team is aware of the arrest and said Chickillo was told not to report for practice this morning, the Post-Gazette reported.
‘We are aware of an incident involving Anthony Chickillo last night and are still gathering information,’ Lauten said in a statement late Sunday.
‘He has been instructed to not be in the building Monday as we continue to gather more information and work with the NFL Office.’
Chickillo was drafted in the sixth round by the Steelers in 2015 out of the University of Miami, the college where he first met Newman.
He agreed to a two-year-extension worth $8 million at the end of last season, however the Tampa native has yet to make an impact this season, missing three of the team’s six games with planta fasciitis.
He has 7.5 career sacks in five seasons, with nine starts in 57 games. He’ll be a free agent in 2021.