Titans draftee Rashad Weaver facing simple assault charge

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tennessee Titans fourth-round draft pick Rashad Weaver has been charged with simple assault following an incident in Pittsburgh last month.

The complaint against Weaver, who played defensive end at the University of Pittsburgh, was filed Friday, a day before the Titans selected Weaver with the 135th overall pick in the draft.

The charge stems from an alleged altercation between Weaver and a woman in the early hours of Sunday, April 18 in Pittsburgh's popular South Side entertainment district. At least one witness told police Weaver struck the woman. Another witness said she saw the woman fall but did not see what precipitated it.

Weaver was not at the scene when police arrived.

His attorney, Dennis M. Blackwell, called the allegations against Weaver “completely false and reckless.”

“Without question and without hesitation, we deny Rashad punched anyone, especially a woman,” Blackwell said in a statement. "We intend to conduct a full investigation of these charges, and intend to pursue all legal remedies available to Rashad.”

The 23-year-old Weaver was in South Florida on Saturday when the Titans chose him in the fourth round. Weaver is from Cooper City, a suburb of Miami. He had 7 1/2 sacks and 14 1/2 tackles for loss in nine games last season for the Panthers.

“We were made aware of this news this morning,” the Titans said Monday in a statement. "We obviously take this seriously and are in the process of gathering details and working with the league.”

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