Accused Restaurant Assaulter Willie McGinest Adds 'Accused Gym Assaulter' to His Resume'

Cindy Ord. Getty Images.

You know what my favorite kind of day is? The simple, quiet kind. Where you have nowhere you have to be. No obligations. No one making demands on your time. And no past or present Patriots players being accused of serious crimes. 

Friday wasn't one of those days. Thanks to the courts being closed Monday, neither was Tuesday. And, as it turns out, neither is today. 

We're just seven months removed from the time Pats Hall of Famer Willie McGinest was caught on camera entering a restaurant in LA and, along with some other guys, jumping ugly on a diner seated at a table:

Which is to say, allegedly. You decide if he looks guilty or not:

For his part, McGinest admitted that is him on the video and took to Instagram with an apology. "First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest apology for my lapse in judgment and behavior on December 9 at a restaurant in West Hollywood" it reads. "To my family, community, friends, and youth I mentor, please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility."  And a few months later, the accusations cost him a sweet job at NFL Network. 

But that was then. This is now:

Source - Three-time Super Bowl champion Willie McGinest is being sued for a second time this year, according to a report. 

The plaintiff, Andrew Cortez, has accused McGinest and three other people of beating him during a dispute over weights, according to TMZ. 

The alleged altercation occurred at a gym, 24 Hour Fitness, in Long Beach, California on June 21, 2021, where Cortez claims he was using the bench press, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ. 

Someone allegedly took a weight and Cortez informed them he had not finished using it. 

The report adds that the ex-NFL star overheard the exchange and questioned, 'the f*** you mean?' The former New England Patriots pass rusher allegedly then hit Cortez in the face with a 'closed fist' before he and three other men began to 'strike him in the head and back "30 to 40 times."'

Now, a cynical man might suggest that this business of hitting someone in the face with a closed fist before he and three others pound the guy into the floor with repeated blows to the head and back is starting to sound familiar. Dare I even say, a trend. Or even a standard operating procedure. But that presumes McGinest actually did at the Long Beach 24 Hour Fitness in June of 2021 what he admits to doing at Delilah in West Hollywood last December 9th. Which I am not. 

But you have to admit, if it didn't go down like that, it's one hell of a coincidence. Really, lightning striking the same defensive end twice. Two separate instances of him bull-rushing a guy with his buddies like he was back on the field, beating Tarik Glenn off the edge to bundle Peyton Manning alongside Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour and Ty Warren. 

In fairness to McGinest, it should be noted that the legal standard for filing a lawsuit against somebody is much lower than the government charging them with a crime. Still, the plaintiff is required to produce come probable cause for it to go forward as this one has. The question now remains whether Big Willie Style will fight this lawsuit in court or just settle it. And whether he'll apologize again to his family, community, friends, and youth he mentors, feel horrible for his actions and take full responsibility. 

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And most important of all, whether he'll stop doing this stupid shit that already cost him a great TV job he could've had for life and damaged an excellent reputation. Probably for good. It's not all that hard to settle your differences with a restaurant customer and your minor disputes with fellow gym patrons without violence. Millions of us do it every day. Just use your words. McGinest and Jack Jones both could stand to accept the best piece of advice Michael ever gave to Dwight:

An idiot would carry unlicensed firearms in his carry on luggage through an airport. An idiot would physically attack a guy in 4-on-1 fights in a restaurant or over a weight. Don't do those things. And, Boom! All your problems are solved.