Attorney apologizes for assault accusation against Donald

<p>PITTSBURGH &mdash; The attorney for a man who accused NFL star Aaron Donald of assaulting him at a Pittsburgh nightclub last weekend has apologized, saying it was a case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>Attorney Todd Hollis, who represents DeVin­cent Spriggs, told Pittsburgh reporters Friday that his client mis­took someone else for Don­ald dur­ing the al­ter­ca­tion. He said his client had believed Donald was responsible, but after reviewing the tapes, “I realized that it was not Aaron Donald." </p>
<p>“I certainly extend an apology to Aaron for any problems this may have caused him," Hollis said. ”Aaron has certainly been through enough so we want to put this to rest.” </p>
<p>Earlier, an attorney for the Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman said witnesses and surveillance video <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-pittsburgh-football-los-angeles-rams-aaron-donald-8dd21f183d1036fa5be3d1298328c4d7">refuted the accusation</a>. Attorney Casey White told WPXI-TV that the video indicated that Donald did not assault anyone but was trying to save Spriggs.</p>
<p>The incident occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday in the city’s South Side. White said the men were at a private party in an apartment, and that after the initial confrontation, Donald and another person encountered Spriggs in a back alleyway.</p>
<p>Donald, 29, was named the Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year in February and played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.</p>