Atlanta Falcons Ex Dante Fowler Must Pay $280K in Florida Battery Case

“The punitive damages awarded by the jury speak for themselves,” said Jonathon Douglas, the victim’s attorney.

Former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dante Fowler has been ordered to pay $280,000 in compensatory and punitive damages for a 2017 altercation in which he struck a man at outside an apartment complex in St. Petersburg, Fla., a civil jury in Florida ordered Thursday.

Fowler, who was playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the time, served a one-game NFL suspension during the 2018 season for the incident. Fowler pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery, criminal mischief and petty theft and issued an apology at the time.

“I would like to start off by apologizing to the organization of the Jacksonville Jaguars and also the city of Jacksonville for my actions and for what had gone down,” Fowler said then. “I just wanted to let people know and everybody know that’s not me as a person. I’m a better person than that, and it won’t happen again.”

Fowler, then age 22, this offseason signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Cowboys, a transaction that reunites Fowler with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, with whom he is close. Quinn coached Fowler at the University of Florida and then in 2020 when Quinn was head coach of the Falcons.

The ruling provides legal closure to an incident for which Fowler served a one-game NFL suspension in 2018. He is not liable to additional penalty from the league. The four-day trial was held at the Pinellas County Courthouse in St. Petersburg.

According to the arrest report, in July 2017, Fowler was driving and failed to stop fully at a stop sign, nearly resulting in a collision with another vehicle. Alvin Trotman, then 55 and a resident at the apartment complex, witnessed the near collision and made a comment.

DeMarcus Lawrence

DeMarcus Lawrence

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Fowler then allegedly exited his vehicle, struck Trotman, stepped on his eyeglasses and threw Trotman’s grocery bag, which contained recently liquor, into a nearby lake. Trotman, who turned 60 this week, filed a civil lawsuit in August of 2018. In his complaint, he claimed he “suffered a torn rotator cuff and exacerbation of cervical spine injuries, among other injuries” as a result of Fowler knocking him to the ground.

Of the awarded damages, $150,000 were punitive.

“The punitive damages awarded by the jury speak for themselves,” said Jonathon Douglas, the victim’s attorney.

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Atlanta Falcons Communications

Fowler, now 28, was the NFL's No. 3 overall pick by the Jaguars. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Rams, where he recorded a career-high 11. 5 sacks in 2019. He signed with the Falcons and played there for two years before his release this offseason.

DeMarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys have agreed to a three-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, so Lawrence is back. But the turn of events that saw Randy Gregory bolt Dallas in favor of the Denver Broncos meant a vacancy in Dallas. So along with the re-signing of Dorance Armstrong, the Cowboys are hoping Fowler rejuvenates his career in Dallas. ... as the Falcons move on.