Former Patriot Willie McGinest sued again, this time for 2021 gym fight over weights

Former New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Willie McGinest is being sued again, TMZ reports. This time, the lawsuit is over an incident that occurred at a gym in 2021.

According to TMZ, Andrew Cortez is suing McGinest claiming that the former NFL pass rusher and three other men “beat the hell out of him” over a dispute about weights. The report notes that the incident took place on June 21, 2021 — two years to the day the news came out — at a 24-Hour Fitness in Long Beach, California.

“Cortez says he told the person he was not done with the weight … but he claims McGinest, the former New England Patriots pass rusher, overheard the exchange and said, ‘the f*** you mean?'” the report reads.

The lawsuit claims McGinest close-fist punched Cortez in the face before the three other men joined the beatdown. Cortez claims he was struck in the head over two dozen times. Employees working in the gym at the time separated the men, and Cortez claims he was injured and bloody after the incident.

Now, Cortez says he has been suffering “emotional distress” from the attack and is asking for damages in the suit, though no specific number has been made public.

Of course, another incident involving a McGinest-led group attack made the rounds at the end of 2022. McGinest was arrested on felony assault charges in Los Angeles, and the incident has since lost him his job at the NFL Network.

He was ultimately charged with assault with a deadly weapon and posted a $30,000 bond hours later.

The three-time Super Bowl champion was caught on video obtained by TMZ in West Hollywood where McGinest and a handful of others began to assault a man and is later seen hitting the man over the head with a bottle. 

After the incident, McGinest waited 10 days before turning himself into police custody, as the incident occurred on Dec. 9. The Pro Football Hall of Famer spent just over two hours in custody.

McGinest is a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots who played 15 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. The two-time Pro Bowler made New England’s all-1990s and 2000s team. He is also a member of the team’s Hall of Fame. 

He still holds the record for most career postseason sacks at 16.0, including 4.5 sacks in a single game. That is also an NFL postseason record.