‘I have better things to do’: Former Patriots player speaks out after Planet Fitness assault arrest

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A former NFL player who won three Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots denied assaulting an 82-year-old man inside a Planet Fitness in Rhode Island last month following his arrest on Wednesday.

Patriots Super Bowl champion accused of assaulting 82-year-old man at Planet Fitness

Patrick Pass, 46, surrendered to authorities on charges of assault on a person over 60 causing bodily injury and disorderly conduct, according to the North Providence Police Chief Alfredo Ruggiero.

Pass was booked on the charges, arraigned, and released on $10,000 bail after a warrant stemming from an investigation into the alleged incident was issued for his arrest, Ruggiero said during a Thursday news conference.

Patrick Pass Patriots (North Providence Police Department)

“Mr. Pass is a town resident. We gave him the courtesy to come to the station, which he did on his own accord,” Ruggiero explained. “I believe it was within forty minutes of our phone call.

Officers responding to a report of an assault at the workout facility in North Providence on Aug. 28 found the elderly victim suffering from injuries to his lower back, police said.

Ruggiero alleged that Pass shoved the man, causing him to fall to the ground, after an apparent argument over a piece of exercise equipment, an investigation into the incident revealed.

“Mr. Pass was on, so to speak, in the vicinity of, when the victim came over to use that piece of equipment. He started wiping it down,” Ruggiero explained. “A verbal confrontation began, which escalated to Mr. Pass pushing the victim to the ground.”

When WJAR-TV asked Pass about the allegations after his arrest, the eight-year NFL veteran told the news outlet, “Look at me, do you think I’m going to do that? Really? Please, come on...I have better things to do than try to assault someone.”

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