At this time last year, Dimitri Patterson was playing cornerback for the Jets and in line for a starting job in their secondary.
That never worked out as Patterson failed to show up for one of the team’s preseason games, which led to a suspension and his ultimate release before August was out. Patterson did not play in the league at all last year and we haven’t heard anything about him trying to catch on with a team in 2015. If he harbored any hopes of doing that, they’ve likely been dashed.
Patterson was arrested in Florida earlier this month and booked for felony child abuse after an incident involving his former girlfriend and their 1-year-old son. ESPN.com reports, via police and court records, that Patterson and Erika Medina got into an argument over child support during a custody exchange at a shopping mall that Medina recorded on her cellphone because Patterson had been “violent to her in the past.”
It escalated and, according to the incident report, Patterson grabbed Medina “around her neck and threw her to the ground” while she was holding the child. The young boy reportedly hit his head and suffered a bruise, leading to the charge against Patterson.
Patterson is due in court on August 31 for a hearing in the case.
