Former Indianapolis Colts lineman Joseph “Joe” Staysniak was arrested and charged with battery and strangulation after punching his son and choking his son’s boyfriend.
Attorney Guy A. Relford, who is representing Joe Staysniak, said a neighbor called Staysniak and told him a suspicious car was parked in his front yard and Joe went to investigate.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Staysniak’s 18-year-old son told authorities that he was sitting in a Jeep in front of the property with his boyfriend when his father approached the car.
The boyfriend told authorities that Staysniak opened the rear passenger door of the Jeep and “grabbed [the boyfriend’s] hoodie and was choking him,” according to the affidavit.
The boyfriend told police Staysniak “flashed a gun” and “held it against the side of his face.”
The 6-foot-5 radio personality told police he only grabbed the boyfriend’s hoodie to get his attention and told him to never return to his property. He denied holding a gun to the young man’s face.
The son told deputies that his father “then punched him, causing his lip to bleed and then punched [the boyfriend].” Police observed dried blood and cuts to the son’s lower lip, the affidavit said.
The retired football star, 56, was booked into jail early Tuesday on felony strangulation and battery charges. He was released the same day on his own recognizance, according to Hendricks County Jail records.
