February 25, 2016
As the investigation continues into former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy's role in a fight that injured two off-duty police officers at an Old City nightclub, so does the war of words between the McCoy and the Fraternal Order of Police camps.
First on Thursday, Buffalonews.com filed a report from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis that cited an unnamed source close to McCoy and asserted the current Buffalo Bill is "not expecting to be charged for his alleged role in a Feb. 7 nightclub brawl in Philadelphia."
Also, someone with McCoy that night at the Recess Lounge could be charged, according to Buffalonews.com.
Thursday afternoon on 94WIP's Josh Innes Show, FOP President John McNesby said the exact opposite. McNesby said he is "positive" McCoy will be prosecuted, and "I will find it very unlikely he is not charged."
McNesby told Innes and co-host Marc Farzetta that he is perplexed at what is taking the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office so long.
"We're scratching our heads here," McNesby said. "The detectives are, too ...."
The altercation took place 18 days ago at the after-hours club on the 100 block of South Second Street. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is investigating McCoy and others in connection with the fight. Two off-duty police officers were injured during the incident. No charges have been filed against McCoy or anyone else reportedly involved and District Attorney Seth Williams has said there is no timetable for his office to decide if charges should be filed.
Reports have stated McCoy was at Recess Lounge with former NFL running back Curtis Brinkley, who attended West Catholic High School in the city; former Pitt teammate Tamarcus Porter; and Christopher Henderson.
The off-duty police have been identified as officers Roland Butler and Darnell Jessie and Sgt. Daniel Ayers.
Philadelphia police have said the incident began with an argument about a bottle of champagne. The off-duty officers had ordered multiple bottles of Moet & Chandon at $350 each, according to a report by bigtrial.net earlier this week. Part of the order arrived at their table and shortly after another bottle was placed at McCoy's party's table, and one of the officers took it.
Bigtrial.net also published that Ayers was carrying a black 9 mm pistol during the fight, and that McCoy was pulled away from the fracas and told that Ayers was police officer.
A melee ensued and one officer was "punched, kicked and stomped" about the head and body several times, police said. He drove himself to Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby, where he was treated for a laceration to his right eye, a broken nose, broken ribs and a sprained thumb, police said.
The second officer was admitted to a hospital, where he received eight stitches over his left eye and was treated for a possible skull fracture, police said.
"These guys were brutalized in there," McNesby said on WIP on Thursday. "This wasn't a black eye or a fat lip ... This was a stomping."
The FOP president was brash in his support of the police, as has been typical since the incident. Questioned by Innes and Farzetta about an alleged prior history of incidents involving these cops, the FOP president said "So what? Who cares? ... If there is, there's no record of it."
McNesby also accused McCoy of getting "celebrity" treatment from Williams, calling it unusual for a district attorney to meet with a person involved in an investigation and his attorney at the defense attorney's office, as happened Tuesday when Williams met with McCoy and his attorney Dennis Cogan.
