Former Patriots player charged with assaulting 82-year-old man at North Providence gym

(WJAR) — North Providence police said former Patriots fullback Patrick Pass was arrested Wednesday for allegedly assaulting an 82-year-old man at a gym.

According to police, the attack occurred on August 28 at the Planet Fitness gym in North Providence.

There was a verbal argument between Pass and the victim over a training device, police said.

Officials said Pass then pushed the 82-year-old victim, causing him to fall to the ground and suffer injuries to his lower back.

Pass is charged with assault and disorderly conduct towards a man over 60 years of age.

According to court documents, Pass received a $10,000 bounty at his arraignment.

According to police, a court date for him was scheduled for December.

NBC 10 News spoke with Patrick Pass at his home in North Providence.

“Look at me. Do you really think I'm going to do that? Come on,” Patrick Pass said. “I have better things to do than try to attack someone.”

Juan Muriel is the victim. He sat down with NBC 10 News to tell his side of the story.

“I felt like someone had pushed me for nothing,” Muriel said. “I never touched him, nothing.”

Muriel said he was cleaning some exercise equipment when he was pushed by Pass.

“The next day I can't walk, I can't lie down, I can't do anything,” Muriel said. “I'm better, almost 90 percent, better, I'm better.”

“I'm so shocked, he's always been a good guy,” said Sydney Demedeiros, a neighbor of Patrick Pass. “He's the big superstar in the neighborhood, so I'm really shocked. As far as I know, he's never shown any signs of anger.”

A Planet Fitness spokesperson sent the following statement:

“At Planet Fitness, the safety of our members is our highest priority and we take incidents like this extremely seriously. The individual's membership has been terminated and the local franchise group is working closely with authorities in their ongoing investigation. Please contact local authorities for further information.”

NBC 10's John Perik contributed to this report.