NFL player accused of assault in lawsuit
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
A lawsuit recently filed here accuses Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison and two men of assaulting a group of autograph-seekers at a Waikiki resort three days before the Pro Bowl.
Harrison could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Calls to Harrison's agent, International Management Group football chief Tom Condon, were not returned.
Valencia Williams, a Los Angeles computer technician who is named as a plaintiff in the case, said yesterday her 13-year-old son was one of four teenage boys, all related, who approached Harrison for his autograph and to take his photograph.
Williams said she was eating dinner in a nearby restaurant and did not witness the Feb. 10 incident, which occurred at 10 p.m. outside the Louis Vuitton store at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Her account is based on her son's statements, Williams said.
Williams said her son told her that when the teens approached, Harrison was on a cell phone and told them to wait. He later made another call and two men showed up, Williams said. The men are not identified in the lawsuit.
According to her son, one of the men punched one of the boys, a 15-year-old, in the jaw. The youth was taken to the hospital, she said.
Williams said her son told her Harrison also shoved one of the boys and placed a "chokehold" on him.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday by Honolulu attorney Michael Green. Named as plaintiffs are Johnnie Reshard Sr. and Valencia Williams, Ernest and Jackie Simon and Eric and Joann Gilbert.
The plaintiffs have since switched to a Los Angeles lawyer, Doug Linde, according to Linde. Green could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Police have said they interviewed Harrison on Feb. 12 in connection with two misdemeanor third-degree assault cases and a petty misdemeanor harassment case. No one was arrested, and no one has been charged.
Jim Fulton, special assistant to City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, said police have forwarded the case to prosecutors. He said the case remains open and under investigation.
Harrison is a nine-year NFL veteran who was drafted in the first round out of Syracuse in 1996. He is the leading receiver in Colts franchise history, and last season caught 86 passes for 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Harrison caught the AFC's first touchdown pass in its 38-27 victory over the NFC in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 13. He finished the game with two catches for 66 yards and the touchdown.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages, including medical expenses and punitive damages.
Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.
