2013 video appears to show Saints' Galette striking woman with belt; NFL reportedly aware
New Orleans Saints linebacker Junior Galette is scheduled to meet with NFL officials later this month regarding his January arrest on allegations of domestic violence, and now finds himself in even more hot water.
A YouTube video has emerged showing Galette twice striking a woman with a belt during a scuffle on a beach. The video, titled "Spring Break 2013 South Beach Brawl," opens with Galette (shown wearing a white shirt, white shorts, white shoes, and sunglasses) fighting a man and whipping him with a belt. After the fight is broken up, Galette swings the belt at onlookers.
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel told Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Saturday that the team was aware of the video and passed it along to the NFL office. Holder added that Galette's attorney, Ralph Whalen, has denied that it's his client in the video.
"We were made aware of the video and we sent it to the league office," Bensel said. "There is a process this will go through at the league-office level and we are waiting on that to be determined."
Galette was arrested Jan. 5 for simple battery involving domestic violence after a woman accused him of pushing her to the ground at his home. The charge was dismissed Feb. 19 and the woman filed a civil suit the same day.
Galette discussed the arrest for the first time Wednesday, apologizing to Saints fans for the way he conducted himself this offseason.
"Really, at this level, you can conduct yourself as good, as choir boy as you want, sometimes the trouble comes to you," Galette said of the January incident. "In that situation, there was nothing I could do. Everything, if I could do it all over again, there's not much different that I can do as far as what this person wants for me out of my life.
"You really don't know what are the warning signs for that. If somebody's going to cross you and try to take everything you have, basically, but it is what it is. I've learned my lesson, and I just want to play football again. That's all that matters right now."
Warning: The video below contains disturbing images and profane language.