Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested Sunday on charges that he assaulted his girlfriend in their hotel room at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County.
Mr. Chickillo, 26, was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment.
He was instructed by the Steelers to not report to the team’s South Side practice facility on Monday as a result of the arrest.
Mr. Chickillo’s girlfriend — Alysha Newman, 25, of Ontario, Canada — was cited for harassment, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
A May story in the Miami Herald identified Ms. Newman as an Olympic pole vaulter for Canada and former All-American at the University of Miami, Mr. Chickillo’s alma mater.
Pennsylvania State Police said Mr. Chickillo and Ms. Newman got into an argument over table games at the Lady Luck Casino at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Wharton around 1:40 a.m. The fight continued in their hotel room.
There, police said that the argument got physical. Mr. Chickillo and Ms. Newman gave different stories to police.
Mr. Chickillo said Ms. Newman hit him in the head with her fist, according to a criminal complaint. He then pushed her to the ground, the complaint said.
Ms. Newman told police that Mr. Chickillo grabbed her “by the biceps and forced her against a wall and door of the hotel room causing injuries.” She said it was after this that she punched Mr. Chickillo in the head. He then threw her to the ground, she told police.
Ms. Newman said Mr. Chickillo then smashed her iPhone, according to the complaint. She locked herself in the bathroom to await police.
When troopers arrived, they said they found redness on Ms. Newman’s biceps with bruises starting to show. Mr. Chickillo admitted to pushing Ms. Newman down, the complaint said. Police took him into custody without incident.
Burt Lauten, the Steelers spokesman, said the team is investigating.
“We are aware of an incident involving Anthony Chickillo last night and are still gathering information,” Mr. Lauten said in a statement late Sunday. “Until we have further details we will not provide any further comments.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday the league “will look into the matter.”
Court records show Mr. Chickillo was arraigned before District Judge Mike Defino Jr. at 7:40 a.m. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bond.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 30 in Redstone, Fayette County.
Several Steelers reached Monday had little to say about the incident.
“I think we’re all just letting the process take care of itself. That’s all I can do. I’m not trying to get involved in it," said Cam Heyward, the team’s defensive captain.
According to the NFL’s personal conduct policy, prohibited conduct includes “actual or threatened physical violence against another person, including dating violence, domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of family violence.”
In cases in which a violation related to a crime of violence is suspected and further investigation is required, the policy states “the commissioner may determine to place a player on the Commissioner Exempt List on a limited and temporary basis to permit the league to conduct an investigation. A player who is placed on the Commissioner Exempt List may not practice or attend games, but with the club’s permission he may be present at the club’s facility on a reasonable basis for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation, and other permitted non-football activities.”
Mr. Chickillo, drafted in the sixth round by the Steelers in 2015 out of the University of Miami, agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $8 million this past off-season. But the 6-foot-3, 253-pound backup outside linebacker from Tampa hasn’t made much of an impact on the field, missing three of the team’s six games with plantar fasciitis, a foot injury.
In his first game back last week, Mr. Chickillo combined with T.J. Watt on a sack of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers but also dropped a possible interception. He has played more on special teams than on defense, his primary role with the Steelers.
Mr. Chickillo has 7.5 career sacks in five seasons, with nine starts in 57 games. He’ll be a free agent in 2021.
Jonathan D. Silver: jsilver@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1962 or on Twitter @jsilverpg. Staff writers Gerry Dulac and Brian Batko contributed.
First Published: October 21, 2019, 2:18 a.m.
