In October, there was a lawsuit filed against Mario Edwards Jr., the defensive end for the Bears, for an alleged incident at a hotel in Charlotte in 2020.
New information has come to light about the civil lawsuit that was filed against the Bears pass rusher. Edwards Jr. was accused by Joann Blakney of assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress at a hotel in Charlotte following the Bears’ Week 6 game against the Panthers. Additionally, she accused the Bears of negligent supervision and defamation.
In the complaint, Blakney mentioned that she and Edwards had an intermittent relationship since 2012 that turned verbally and physically abusive three years later. Allegedly, she booked a room at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in October 2020 where the Bears players were staying for their game against the Panthers to meet with Edwards, according to the Tribune.
Blakney, who was pregnant at the time, stated that she engaged in consensual oral sex with Edwards, but he turned violent and aggressive after she declined his request for intercourse. Her lawsuit claimed that Edwards struck her in the face, twisted her nails backward, and dragged her toward the hotel door, as per the Tribune. Blakney reportedly tried to defend herself by hitting Edwards Jr.
Blakney has also accused Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Jeffrey Burton of negligence in her lawsuit.
The police report identified both Edwards and Blakney as victims, mentioning that officers responded to a complaint of “a female hitting a male with her hand and scratching his forehead.”
Blakney claimed that Burton called four unidentified Bears employees to assist in handling the situation. She alleged that these employees asked if she wanted or needed money, brought Edwards to her against her will, and falsely labeled her as a prostitute, according to the Tribune.
Edwards, a veteran of seven years in the league, received a criminal summons for a misdemeanor assault charge on a female. Blakney is also facing a misdemeanor charge of simple assault from the incident.
Edwards’ attorney has criticized the plaintiff for filing the lawsuit as a way to seek financial gain, as reported by the Tribune.
