Steelers LB Anthony Chickillo charged with assaulting Canadian Olympic star girlfriend
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested early Sunday morning after an altercation with his girlfriend, Canadian track star Alysha Newman, according to reports citing Pennyslvania State Police.
Chickillo was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment after he and Newman got into a verbal fight at a casino in Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County that police said got physical when they returned to their hotel room. The incident happened around 1:40 a.m., police said.
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Chickillo, 26, told police Newman hit him in the head with her fist and he then pushed her to the ground, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Newman, 25, told police Chickillo grabbed her “by the biceps and forced her against a wall and door of the hotel room,” the Post-Gazette reported. She said it was then that she punched Chickillo and he threw her to the ground.
Police said there were visible injuries on both of Newman’s arms, but none on Chickillo, per Trib Live. She said her phone was smashed and she hid in the bathroom while waiting for police, per reports. Newman was identified by police Monday morning to WTAE.
Newman is an Olympic pole vault specialist for Canada and placed fifth at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, last month. She attended the University of Miami, where she set a school record.
Chickillo, a 6-3, 253-pound second-string linebacker, attended Miami with Newman and was a sixth-round pick by the Steelers in 2015. He signed a two-year deal in the offseason and returned last week after missing three games with a foot injury. Pittsburgh had a bye week.
He has 7.5 career sacks in five seasons with nine starts in 57 games.
Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement, via the Post Gazette:
"We are aware of an incident involving Anthony Chickillo last night and are still gathering information. Until we have further details we will not provide any further comments."
Chickillo was arraigned and released on $10,000 bail. The preliminary hearing is on Oct. 30, per reports.
Police said Newman will be cited with harassment, Trib Live reported.
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