Three-time Super Bowl champion Willie McGinest is facing the possibility of serious prison time.
The Patriots Hall-of-Fame linebacker was charged Thursday with one count of assault with a deadly weapon and assault by means of force likely to cause bodily injury in connection with an alleged nightclub assault.
Per the California penal code, both charges carry a maximum prison sentence of four years each and a possible fine of $10,000.
McGinest was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office after allegedly assaulting a patron at a West Hollywood nightclub on December 19.
“First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest apology for my lapse in judgment and behavior on December 9 at a restaurant in West Hollywood,” McGinest said in a statement in December. “To my family, community, friends and youth I mentor, please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility.”
Video obtained by TMZ from inside the nightclub shows the 51-year-old former linebacker walking up to the victims’ table and throwing a rapid of punches before other men join the scuffle.
McGinest, a Long Beach native who played college football at USC, was the first Patriots draft pick of the Rober Kraft-ownership era in 1994. The versatile linebacker/lineman became a lynchpin of the Patriots’ great defense of the early 2000′s. A three-time Super Bowl champion, McGinest entered the Patriots’ Hall of Fame in 2015. His 16 career postseason sacks are still an NFL record.
Since hanging up the cleats, McGinest has worked as a football analyst, primarily for NFL Network. He has not appeared on air since the incident.
McGinest’s arraignment hearing is set for April.
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