Jets LB accused of leaving man with multiple facial fractures in nightclub ‘attack’

Lorenzo Mauldin allegedly punched the man in the face after he spilled champagne.

A New York man has filed a lawsuit alleging Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin “attacked” him at a Manhattan nightclub in April, according to the New York Post. 

The alleged victim, 22-year-old Queens resident Jean Lopez, says Mauldin punched him twice in the face after Lopez spilled champagne on Mauldin. Lopez had surgery to repair multiple fractures in his face and continues to have numbness in the left side of his face, his lawyer told the Post. 

Lopez alleges he was attacked by Mauldin unprovoked. The suit also alleges a third man, Reginald Cook, pushed and grabbed Lopez during the incident. 

“It was not a fight, it was an attack,” Lopez’s lawyer, Glenn Race, told the Post. 

Lopez filed a criminal complaint after the attack but could not immediately identify his attacker.

Mauldin’s lawyer told the Post that Mauldin was “not involved” and that he has “a very strong case.” Mauldin believes he will be exonerated, the attorney added. 

Mauldin, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL. After being used primarily as a situational pass-rusher as a rookie, Mauldin saw more playing time last year and started three games for New York.