The St. Petersburg Times reports that, according to a police report, the victim said Blount directed two men who attacked him.
The incident reportedly happened in the parking garage of Blount's apartment complex on Sept. 11 after the Bucs hosted the Detroit Lions. The police report said that Blount refused to cooperate with the investigation of a possible felony battery, but that he was not charged in the incident or accused of any direct violence.
Blount was reportedly present when Gary Holmer, 34, and his girlfriend, Emily Buethe, 29, returned from that day's game at Raymond James Stadium wearing Bucs shirts at around 6:30 p.m. Their pickup, driven by Holmer, reportedly hit the mirror of a 2005 Ford Expedition SUV, which Blount and two others were standing next to.
Holmer reportedly said that he didn't stop so that he didn't block any more traffic, but that he pulled around the corner and rolled down his window, at which point the Expedition came around the corner and cut him off. According to the St. Petersburg Times, the police report states that Holmer said three men got out and one of them "reached in and punched [Holmer] several times on his eye, nose and jaw," while one of the other men jumped on his windshield and shattered the glass.
Holmer reportedly said the third man, later identified as Blount, "was the leader and directed the actions of the other two," although he never hit anyone of touched the victim's truck.
The report stated that police did not pursue possible charges of "burglary for the purpose of committing battery, felony battery and felony criminal mischief'' at Holmer's request.
Blount's attorney, Ryan Morgan, said that there was an altercation, but that it didn't involve his client.
"When this guy found out who he was,'' Morgan said, according to the St. Petersburg Times, "his attorney called the Bucs and asked for $95,000 in compensation and warned that if that was not forthcoming, the attorney would go public."
"I spoke to LeGarrette and we rejected it outright because he didn't do anything wrong," Morgan continued. "We're not going to pay someone who is just making a money grab. If there's a claim he needs to address -– and I'm not saying that there is -– I suggest he do so with the other guys involved."
Blount, who turned 25 on Monday, is in the midst of his second season in the NFL. He reportedly has no criminal record in Oregon or Florida, but he was involved in a post-game scuffle while playing at Oregon, during which he punched an opposing player in the face.
Buccaneer communications director Jonathan Grella has reportedly issued the following statement:
"LeGarrette Blount immediately informed the organization of this situation back in September. We have reviewed the incident report and spoken with the police. The Tampa Police Department confirmed that the case is closed."
The victim, Holmer, and his attorney, Brian Hoag, each released a statement in response to the allegations that Holmer was acting as part of a "money grab."
Holmer said in his statement, "Foremost, I want it to be known that I did not seek or desire public attention for this matter. The only action I've taken since the event nearly three months ago was to participate in the criminal investigation (that was conducted at the investigating detective's request) and hire an attorney in an effort to recover my medical expenses and damages."
Hoag then noted in his statement that his client did not release the police report, and that it is instead a matter of public record.
"If our client desired publicity, he or we could have easily pointed media in the direction of the public police report long ago," Hoag said.
Hoag then went on to say, "A recent media report included comments from a representative of Mr. Blount that characterized the case as a "money grab." However, the facts detailed in the police report clearly reflect that our client was the victim of severe bodily injury and property damages. We do not wish to question anyone's character -– we only seek recovery of Mr. Holmer's damages."
