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Dallas Stars assistant coach James Patrick was arrested last week and was charged with assault stemming from a domestic dispute.
Patrick, 50, was involved in a dispute with his girlfriend at his home in the Dallas area. According to the police report (via the Dallas Morning News) it was over the contents of his phone.
Patrick got to his home in the 9100 block of Chapel Valley Road around 1:20 a.m. April 30. His girlfriend told police Patrick smelled like alcohol and was covered in vomit, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The woman helped Patrick undress but then confronted him after she saw several "inappropriate text messages" from another woman on his phone, the warrant says.
They began to wrestle over the phone, and Patrick grabbed the woman’s throat and pushed her face into the bathroom faucet, police said. She suffered a cut on her lower lip during the incident.
Patrick came to the Stars this season as an assistant under head coach Lindy Ruff. Patrick played 1,280 career games in his career, the final six spent in Buffalo under Ruff as a player. He then joined Ruff's staff as an assistant in 2006.
The Stars issued the following statement about the incident to the News.
"We're aware of the incident and have spoken to James regarding the matter. We're confident that the authorities will find an appropriate resolution to the situation. We will have no further comment at this time."
Patrick wasn't the only former player making the headlines for wrong reasons on Wednesday as Thomas Steen, former Jets player and father of Alexander Steen, was also charged with assault. Steen serves on the Winnipeg City Council and is a member of the police board.
