2 Titans players sued for allegedly assaulting man on draft night
Two Tennessee Titans were not amused with a man’s amateur NFL prognosticating, according to a new lawsuit, and allegedly assaulted the man on NFL draft night.
Dante R. Satterfield of Nashville has alleged that Titans receiver Tajae Sharpe beat him while Titans offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola watched and kept an eye out. The lawsuit indicates that all three men were at a bar in Nashville during the first night of the draft and were discussing the draft’s prospects at the bar.
The Titans selected wide receiver Corey Davis in the first round, and that move allegedly caused some concern and consternation for Sharpe when Satterfield suggested he could lose playing time as a result. According to the lawsuit, the players asked Satterfield to step outside, and then Sharpe began punching him as Tretola stood guard.
According to the lawsuit, a passerby called 911 and Satterfield was taken to a local hospital, where he remained unconscious for 12 hours. Satterfield suffered broken bones in his face, a concussion, hearing loss and other issues, and is seeking at least $500,000.
“Through this brutal assault,” the lawsuit reads, “Defendants caused Plaintiff to suffer physical trauma, emotional distress, humiliation, and further caused him to incur expenses in the form of time and money to treat his physical, mental, and emotional injuries.”
Blaine Roche, Sharpe’s agent, dismissed the allegations. “The claims are ridiculous,” he told the Nashville Tennessean. “Tajae unequivocally denies any and all involvement and he looks forward to vindicating his name, clearing his name of any and all wrongdoing here.” To a local TV station, Roche called the lawsuit “a classic shakedown attempt.”
Tretola’s representatives had no comment. The Titans indicated they were aware of the lawsuit but offered no further comment.
Both Sharpe and Tretola are second-year players. Sharpe worked his way into a starting job for 10 of 16 games last season, catching 41 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Tretola was inactive for 14 of 16 games last season.
The Titans selected receivers with two of their first three picks in last month’s draft.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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