A video surfaced Sunday of the apparent assault on Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, which happened in an Aberdeen, South Dakota, bar early Saturday morning.
Initial reports Saturday indicated the 6-foot-5, 256-pound Goedert was sucker-punched while dining at a restaurant with his family. Though The Zoo Bar in Aberdeen serves food, Goedert clearly is standing in an area without tables when he enters the frame of the video, posted by @samstompy, who said in a tweet that he obtained it through a friend who knew the bar owner. The video appears to be security footage.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Goedert “was with some friends and family, and two guys kept saying disrespectful things.” The source said Goedert walked over to “tell them to chill,” and was punched.
Two sources indicated Aberdeen police have made an arrest, though the police department has not commented on the altercation. A published report said there would be no police comment until Monday.
In the video, when Goedert enters the frame from the right side, he has his hand against the chest of a man who is backing away. Goedert then takes a punch to the face from someone coming up from the bottom of the screen. Goedert seems to be unconscious as he lands on the floor, on his back. People immediately come to his aid and obscure the video view. Other people seem to end up in a pile to the right of Goedert, with the person who punched him. The man Goedert was pushing away before he was punched stands at the edge of the crowd, then turns and leaves.
Goedert reportedly was checked out at a local hospital, but a source described him as “more embarrassed than hurt.” His agent, Chase Callahan, deferred comment.
As word spread of the incident, Eagles teammates took to social media to express their support for Goedert, 25, who is preparing for his third NFL season since being drafted in the second round, 49th overall, in 2018, from South Dakota State.
Cornerback Avonte Maddox, Goedert’s roommate in Philly, tweeted that Goedert’s assailant was “lucky that I wasn’t there.”
Goedert is considered a rising star after playing 67% of the team’s offensive snaps last season when he caught 58 passes for 607 yards and five touchdowns. The Eagles made abundant use of two tight-end sets, with Goedert and Zach Ertz emerging as Carson Wentz’s most reliable targets after a wave of injuries decimated the wide-receiving corps.
Aberdeen is a little more than an hour’s drive from Goedert’s hometown of Britton, South Dakota. The Zoo Bar’s Friday afternoon Facebook post advertised 16-ounce vodka drinks for $5.75 Friday night, and burger baskets starting at $5.25.
Aberdeennews.com wrote: “Police were called to The Zoo Bar in Aberdeen just after 1 a.m. on a report of ‘people busting glasses and have busted heads,’ according to archived local police scanner traffic reviewed by Forum News Service.”
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