Former NFL player and radio personality arrested on strangulation and other charges after incident involving his own son

Former Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman faces multiple charges following incident with his son.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Joe Stisniak was arrested for domestic battery and pointing a firearm, intimidation and strangulation.

Steisniak played six seasons in the NFL, including three with the Colts. After he left the NFL, he became a radio personality and hosted The Morning Fan Show until 2021.

In a sworn letter about the probable cause, Steisniak’s son said he was sitting in a car with his boyfriend in front of his family’s house when his father approached the car, according to NBC.

Steisniak opened the rear passenger door and “grabbed [the boyfriend’s] hood and strangled him,” the affidavit says.

The son claimed that his father “then punched him, causing his lip to bleed, and then punched” his boyfriend. The affidavit states that the officer who arrived saw blood on the son’s lower lip.

The son said that Staisniak was brandishing a gun and told them that “they were lucky that he saw who it was,” the affidavit says.

The boyfriend said that Steisniak “shone the gun” and “at some point during the incident held it to his face,” the affidavit says.

Staisniak told a different story. He said that a neighbor told him that there was a suspicious car in front of his house, so he went to investigate. Seeing who it was, he forbade the guy to return to his property.

Steisniak said his son “came for him”, so he pushed his son back with an “open hand”. The former athlete said that he and his son “got into it” and that “[his son] tried to attack him,” until, according to the sworn testimony, they were separated by Stijsniak’s wife.

Steisniak told police that “he had a gun with him” but “he denied touching it.” [the boyfriend] with him or directing him to any person, ”the document says.

In its report, the Star reported that, according to an affidavit, Steisniak stated that his gun was in the glove compartment of his car, and the police found a revolver there.

According to WXIN, the affidavit states that Stysniak pulled another man in the car by the hoodie “to get his attention.”

Attorney Guy A. Relford, representing Stysniak, posted a statement on Facebook saying that “clarification regarding the incident” is needed.

“The situation arose when a neighbor contacted Joe at a late hour to report two suspicious cars parked in the woods near Stysniak’s house, and Joe went to investigate. He found his adult son and friend in one of the cars,” Relford said.

“The details of what happened then will become known in the courtroom, but we have every confidence that Joe’s actions will be conclusively recognized as legal and justified under the circumstances.”

Despite media reports, Relford said in a statement that Stisniak was only charged with “two counts of ‘beating causing bodily injury'” and one count of strangulation. In a statement, he also said that Staisniak was not accused of illegal use of firearms.