The man who threw a blindside punch at Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert says he suffered multiple injuries and was protecting his friend the incident last month at a bar in South Dakota.
Tyler Hadala, 25, of Florida, was charged with assault in the June 19 melee at Zoo Bar, where surveillance footage showed him clock Goedert and knock him to the ground.
Goedert, 25, grew up in South Dakota and played college football at South Dakota State University. The incident occurred in Aberdeen, about an hour away from Goedert's hometown of Britton.
Investigators said Hadala and a group of friends were visiting South Dakota from Sarasota at the time of the incident. Goedert was taken to a local hospital and released without serious injuries.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Hadala claimed this week that Goedert and his friends had been "harassing" him and his crew at another bar earlier in the night.
"They were extremely aggressive and disrespectful," Hadala reportedly said, alleging that Goedert's group was giving his friends a hard time over the music they were selecting on a juke box.
Later, Hadala claimed both groups went to Zoo Bar, where someone in Goedert's group allegedly "picked out my smaller colleague" and "made threatening remarks toward his personal well-being."
Initial reports at the time of the incident suggested that Goedert was out with his family that night. The incident occurred around 1 a.m.
In the video, Goedert is seen placing his hand on the chest of a man before Hadala enters the frame and punches Goedert to the ground. The available portion of the video shows people gathering around Goedert while some additional fighting continues around him.
Hadala, sharing pictures with TMZ Sports, said he suffered multiple lacerations that required stitches and staples.
"I protected my friend and then was ambushed by 5 to 7 individuals that punched, kicked, threw beer bottles, etc., trying to cause me bodily harm which I received medical treatment at the hospital for my injuries the next day," Hadala said.
There were no other charges announced against anyone else at the bar in the aftermath of the incident.
Hadala reportedly has hired a lawyer and plans to fight the case.
Goedert and the Philadelphia Eagles have yet to comment publicly on the incident.