Titans fourth-round pick Rashad Weaver charged with assault in April incident

Tennessee Titans fourth-round pick Rashad Weaver was charged Friday with one count of simple assault in connection with an April incident in Pittsburgh.

According to the criminal complaint against Weaver, 23, Pittsburgh police found a woman lying on the ground surrounded by a group of people at the intersection of South 17th St. and East Carson St. at 2:28 a.m. on April 18. Witnesses at the scene said that a large male, later identified as Weaver, punched the woman, Demetria Navjelis. Weaver was not at the scene when police arrived.

Five minutes before the incident, police said there was an argument between Weaver and Navjelis at a nearby bar. Officers separated the two and identified Weaver. Weaver told the officers before leaving the bar that he had no problem hitting a female if they needed it, per the complaint.

Police contacted Navjelis on April 25, per the complaint. She told officers that she went to Ohio Valley Hospital on April 22 because she was vomiting. Navjelis was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital and got proof that she was pregnant at the time of the incident.

A preliminary hearing in Weaver’s case is scheduled for October 5.

Weaver’s attorney Dennis M. Blackwell said in a statement, “The allegations against my client, Rashad Weaver, are completely false and reckless. Mr. Weaver takes these charges very seriously, and we look forward to clearing his good name. Without question and without hesitation, we deny Rashad punched anyone, especially a woman. We intend to conduct a full investigation of these charges, and intend to pursue all legal remedies available to Rashad.”

The Titans said in a statement, “We were made aware of this news this morning. We obviously take this seriously and are in the process of gathering details and working with the league.”

Tennessee selected Weaver with the 135th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Weaver played for the Pitt Panthers from 2017 through 2020. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound edge rusher missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL, but returned in 2020 to earn first-team All-America honors.

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