De’Andre Johnson Apologizes For Punching Woman

Photo © Stacy Revere/Getty Images.

Last week, a video of De’Andre Johnson punching a female bar patron was released by the Tallahassee Democrat. In the footage, Johnson bumped into the victim while going to the bar, which resulted in the situation escalating and her throwing a jab. Instead of walking away, Johnson struck back, punching her in the face. He was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery. As a result of the footage, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher decided to release the young quarterback.

Since then, his lawyer released a statement, claiming that De’Andre was truly sorry for his actions but he did not instigate the fight. However, in an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, he finally opened up about the incident and took responsibility for throwing that punch.

De’Andre Johnson Apologizes

“There is no explanation for that,” he told interviewer Michael Strahan. “I totally should have walked away. I’m sorry. If I could do it all over again, I would.”

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Now, his lawyer initially stated that the victim instigated the fight and allegedly used a racial slur. However, De’Andre is not going to use that as an excuse: “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I shouldn’t have raised my hand to her. I should’ve walked away.”

And most importantly, he apologized to the victim and her family: “I would like to say to her and her family that I’m sorry. No words can describe this feeling.” But he still believes that he deserves a second chance and his lawyer Jose Baez does not think one incident should define De’Andre’s life.

Yet only time will tell if another college team will take a chance on the former FSU QB. For now, he has been volunteering at a battered women shelter, focusing on his education and attempting to learn from the experience.