Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is being investigated by Pittsburgh police for his involvement in a street altercation with two other men over the weekend.
Police say charges are pending against the four-time All-Pro and include robbery, terroristic threats, conspiracy and aggravated assault.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s popular South Side.
One of the men recognized Revis and asked him if he was the Jets cornerback. The man then started recording the interaction on his cellphone and continued to follow Revis on the street.
Revis, police say, tried to take away the cellphone and delete the video, which led to a verbal argument. Another male came to assist Revis. The two men were punched, and witnesses say they were unconscious for about 10 minutes.
Police obtained the cellphone video and ID’d Revis.
A Jets spokesman said the team is aware of the incident and has spoken to Revis, who was born in Pennsylvania and played at the University of Pittsburgh. There was no further comment.
Revis’ attorney, Blaine Jones, said in an email to WTAE that the cornerback was the victim and sought medical treatment. He didn’t reveal the nature of his injuries.
“Mr. Revis came home to Pittsburgh this past weekend to visit family and friends. During that time, Mr. Revis went by a location in the South Side that he is in the process of developing,” Jones said in the email. “Mr. Revis was physically assaulted while at that location by a group of at least five people. Mr. Revis feared for his safety and retreated from the aggressors.”
Revis, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the NFL’s most accomplished players, is facing an uncertain status with the team. He endured a disappointing season and could be a salary-cap casualty in the coming weeks; Revis is due a $2 million roster bonus on March 11, plus another $13 million in salary.
The Miami Dolphins released veteran defensive players Mario Williams and Earl Mitchell on Thursday, freeing up $12.5 million on their salary cap, but starting left tackle Branden Albert wasn’t also released as expected.
Albert’s name was not on the NFL’s official transactions wire Thursday, although both he and his agent were informed Thursday morning that the Dolphins planned to release him, sources told ESPN. According to sources, the Dolphins received enough interest from around the league after news that Albert would be released broke that they will try to trade the veteran offensive lineman, although a trade can’t be competed until the new league year starts on March 9.
One possible team of interest could be the Denver Broncos. Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is now the head coach in Denver and knows Albert well. Joseph can use Albert’s veteran presence on the field and leadership in the locker room in his first season with the Broncos. Albert also is familiar with the AFC West as a former longtime player with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Miami Herald was first to report that the Dolphins had received trade interest in Albert.
Albert has two years left on his contract, but neither season carries any guaranteed money. He is scheduled to be paid $8.9 million and will counted $10.6 million against the cap in 2017. If the Dolphins release him, they will save $7.2 million on their cap, leaving $3.4 million in dead money on the cap.
Williams was scheduled to make $8.485 million (none guaranteed) in 2017 and was to count $10.5 million against the Dolphins’ cap. By cutting him, Miami saves $8.5 million on the cap, with $2 million in dead money remaining.
Mitchell was to make $3.975 million in 2017 (not guaranteed). Scheduled to count $4.5 million against the Dolphins’ salary cap, his release saves the Dolphins $4 million on their cap, with $500,000 in dead money left over.
The Dolphins might move 2016 first-round pick Laremy Tunsil to left tackle if they move on from Albert. Tunsil, a left tackle in college at Ole Miss, played left guard in his rookie season.
Albert, 32, is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, including in 2015 with the Dolphins. The Chiefs drafted him No. 15 overall in the 2008 draft.
The Dolphins had planned to release left tackle Branden Albert, but now will try to trade him when the new league year begins March 9. Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini
He didn’t play a full season in any of his three years with the Dolphins because of injuries, including a dislocated wrist last season that he had surgically repaired in November. In the 35 games he played for the Dolphins, including 12 last season, he was a starter.
Williams was a major disappointment for Miami after signing a two-year, $17 million contract last year. He had a career-low 1.5 sacks and also suffered concussion and ankle injuries.
Mitchell, 29, played the past three seasons for the Dolphins after the Texans selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft. Last season he was limited to nine games (five starts) because of a calf injury.
He has 206 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his career.
The Dolphins went 10-6 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
ESPN’s James Walker and Adam Caplan contributed to this report.
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger’s public flirtation with retirement seems to have an underlying theme attached: The window won’t be open forever, so win now.
But while the Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn’t take Roethlisberger’s remaining years for granted, it’s possible the abrupt ending to the 2016 season will spark the quarterback as he approaches his mid-30s.
Leave it up to one of Big Ben’s favorite players, Tom Brady, to set the blueprint.
Ben Roethlisberger’s improved conditioning could help him remain an elite quarterback as he enters his mid-30s. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Brady will turn 40 in August, but his play has not diminished in the slightest. During the 25-point comeback in Super Bowl LI, Brady was delivering difficult fourth-quarter throws with conviction and velocity. Squeezing the ball into tight windows was no problem. Maybe the steep decline is inevitable in the next year or two, but Brady has done a masterful job prolonging the fall thanks to intense training regimens and even more intense dietary choices (no nightshade vegetables!).
Expecting any quarterback to duplicate Brady’s results at age 39 seems far-fetched.
But Roethlisberger, 34, can carve out his own late-career plan, which he appeared to be doing last offseason by shedding around 10 pounds with a cardio-heavy routine. The Steelers still believe Roethlisberger has two to three more prime years left.
Central to Roethlisberger’s long-term outlook is the potential cumulative effect from injuries. Roethlisberger has played through ailments to virtually every body part. But there’s hope in this area: an elite offensive line. The stout front five kept Roethlisberger off the ground on all but 17 of his dropbacks in the regular season.
Despite Roethlisberger’s 456 career sacks, the Steelers’ front office has prioritized protection for times like this: to ensure the quarterback is comfortable and effective for the next few years.
The humbling AFC title-game loss punctuated the Steelers’ need to improve against top-ranked passers and for better red zone production from the offense. Roethlisberger’s average of around one touchdown and one interception per road game dating back to mid-2015 falls on everyone. The execution near the goal line has been erratic.
Make no mistake, urgency permeates the Steelers’ building. This quarterback and this offense can make another run.
If frustration from the season finale fueled Roethlisberger’s big-picture evaluations about his future, perhaps that same frustration can catalyze a big 2017 by taking it out on opponents.
The Steelers have begun negotiating a contract with wide receiver Antonio Brown that would keep him in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career.
“We want Antonio to retire a Steeler for life,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told reporters on Thursday.
Colbert said getting a contract done with Brown was a “priority” in a year when running back Le’Veon Bell is likely to receive the franchise tag.
Brown posted a picture of himself with his agent Drew Rosenhaus in Pittsburgh on his Snapchat account earlier in the week, a sign Rosenhaus was in the area to talk about a new contract.
The Steelers appear to be making good on their promise to rework Brown’s contract In the offseason. They restructured his contract in August, advancing $4 million of his 2017 salary into his base salary for 2016.
Brown, 28, is considered one of the best receivers in the league and has been a key piece of the Steelers offense for the past several seasons. He has one year left on a five-year, $42 million contract he signed in 2012.
A 2010 sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan, Brown has been to five Pro Bowls and has earned three first-team All-Pro nods in his seven seasons. He led the league with 1,698 receiving yards in 2014.
He is the first player in Steelers history to finish with 1,000 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in three straight seasons.
Brown drew the ire of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for posting a Facebook Live video of Tomlin’s postgame speech after a win against the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the incident appears to have been put to rest as the team moves into the offseason.
