Darrelle Revis arraigned in Pittsburgh, will be back in court Thursday

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Monday, February 20, 2017

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Reviswas released on non-monetary bond after turning himself in to police Friday night, a day after he was charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor stemming from an altercation last weekend in Pittsburgh. Revis' next court date will be Thursday.



Late Sunday night, his attorneys issued a statement saying that a video released Sunday by TMZ showing two men unconscious will prove that Revis is not the person who punched and knocked out the two men.



"Darrelle Revis absolutely, categorically and positively did not knock out anyone, did not conspire with anyone to commit an assault, did not say 'shut up before I knock your (expletive] out next' and surely did not 'rob' another of a cell phone," said the statement issued by attorneys, Robert DelGreco Jr. and Mark Fiorilli. "The voice and admissions made on the video are not that of Darrelle Revis. We have no doubt but that further investigation relative to the clothing and voice verification will corroborate the above assertions."



As part of Friday's arraignment, the four-time All-Pro was ordered to appear at all hearings and instructed not to have any contact with the alleged victims and witnesses -- not even on social media. He has 72 hours to submit his passport.



Revis did not answer questions from assembled media as he made his way into the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts building at about 7:20 p.m. ET Friday. He was accompanied by attorney Blaine Jones and family members.



Jones told ESPN before the arraignment that he believes Revis has a "very good case." He described his client as serious, somber and "ready to answer charges."



The attorney also said that Revis retained Jones for pretrial services only and that he removed himself from the case after Friday night. DelGreco will be Revis' lead lawyer going forward. DelGreco represented Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter last month after Porter allegedly was involved in an altercation outside a Pittsburgh bar. All but the two least serious charges were ultimately dropped.



Police on Thursday charged Revis with two felony counts of aggravated assault, one felony count each of robbery and conspiracy, and a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats.



The incident in question occurred at 2:43 a.m. ET Sunday on Pittsburgh's popular South Side. Two men, ages 21 and 22, told police that they were punched and knocked out amid a verbal altercation with Revis, though they did not know who hit them. Witnesses said the two men were unconscious for 10 minutes, according to police, but also did not know who hit the men.



Dallas Cousins, a 22-year-old from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, was walking on a street when he spotted someone who resembled Revis, police said. Cousins confronted Revis, who acknowledged his identity. At that point, Cousins began recording video on his cellphone and continued to follow the NFL star.



"At some point, Revis snatched the cellphone away and attempted to delete the video," the police statement said.



Zacheriah Jarvis, a 21-year-old from Ross Township, Pennsylvania, who is Cousins' roommate, helped retrieve the phone, police said. An argument ensued. An unidentified man came to help Revis. The other two men told police they "were punched, then remember waking up to talk to police."



A witness, Nathan Watt, told police that Revis approached Watt after Cousins and Jarvis were knocked out. Watt quoted Revis as saying, "I got more guys coming." The complaint added that Revis "stepped within a foot of his face with an aggressive demeanor on his face, fists clenched, and stated, 'Do you want to be next?'"



Watt said he didn't know whether Revis or the man who helped him knocked out Cousins and Jarvis, telling police, "I don't know. It happened so fast."



Officers viewed the cellphone video at the scene and confirmed the person in it was Revis. Police said the video -- which is not the same as the video obtained by TMZ -- "shows Revis walking away from the group and Cousins following him, describing what Revis is wearing. The video then shows Revis standing in front of the White Eagle Bar, saying, 'Why are you following me?' several times before the video stops."



The men said they later took themselves to the hospital, where Cousins was diagnosed with an orbital floor fracture.



Revis and the unidentified man left the area in a truck, Watt told police.



Three calls were placed to 911, including one from Cousins. A cab driver and a resident also called 911, both saying they saw two men unconscious in the street.



Jones, Revis' initial attorney, said Thursday that the cornerback was "physically assaulted while at the location by a group of at least five people" and was a "victim in all of this."



One of the NFL's most accomplished players, Revis is facing an uncertain future with the Jets. After a disappointing season -- he called it the worst of his career -- the 31-year-old could be a salary-cap casualty in the coming weeks. He is due a $2 million roster bonus on March 11, plus another $13 million in base salary (including $6 million guaranteed).



Information from ESPN's Coley Harvey and Rich Cimini was used in this report.



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