The NFL Network ‘parted ways’ with Patriots legend Willie McGinest, four months after the attack on a Los Angeles nightclub, as cuts to the league-owned network grow
The NFL Network has decided to “break up” with one of its analysts, Willie McGinest, four months after the Patriots legend attacked a man in a Los Angeles nightclub.
Prior to his dismissal Thursday, McGinest, 51, was suspended indefinitely by the network for starting an altercation at a West Hollywood nightclub called Delilah on Dec. 9.
However, according to Sports Front Officethe three-time Super Bowl champion’s layoff was part of the NFL Network’s recent firing spree that also saw anchor Rachel Boneta, columnist Jim Trotter and reporter Mike Giardi.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NFL Network for comment.
McGinest will be less inclined to worry about being fired than the two felony counts he has been facing in the case for four months. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged the former linebacker with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.
Former NFL quarterback Willie McGinest was fired from NFL Network on Thursday
The 51-year-old was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2015 after winning three Super Bowls.
Each charge carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. McGinest’s indictment is set for April, according to TMZ.
McGinest was arrested in connection with the Dec. 9 incident, and turned himself in on Dec. 19, according to Fox.
TMZ has obtained a video that allegedly shows McGinest and other men approaching a man sitting in a booth. In the footage, McGinest punches the victim before the other attackers take their turn. McGinest is also accused of smashing the victim’s head with a bottle.
McGinest posted and issued a $30,000 bond.
McGinest later apologized for the incident on social media.
Street view of Delilah’s nightclub in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, where the alleged assault took place
McGinest, who played for the Patriots from 1994-2005, faces up to eight years in prison on the two criminal charges he faces in the criminal case.
“First and foremost, I would like to offer my deepest apologies for my lapses in judgment and behavior on Dec. 9 at a restaurant in West Hollywood,” McGinest posted on Instagram later in December. “To my family, my community, my friends and the young people I mentor, please know that I feel terrible about my actions and take full responsibility.”
McGinest, 51, played the first 12 seasons of his 15-year NFL career with the Patriots and was part of three Super Bowl winning teams. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1996 and 2003 and ranks second in Patriots history with 78 sacks.
In 15 seasons with the Patriots (1994-2005) and Browns (2006-2008), McGinest played in 212 games (184 starts) and recorded 804 tackles and 86 sacks, as well as a league record 16 postseason sacks.