Johnny Patrick facing assault charge

Things had just been going a little bit too well.

Jason Riley:

Attorney Grant Helman, who is representing Patrick, said Patrick and his girlfriend began struggling over his cell phone when she wanted to see his text messages and that she slipped and fell, hitting a table. Helman said Patrick called police and, because the girlfriend had visible injuries, Patrick was arrested.

The girlfriend, who was not in court Thursday because of a work appointment, is expected to ask that the charge be dismissed, Helman said.

"It was not domestic violence," he said.

Bill Patteson, a spokesman with the county attorney's office, said it is not uncommon for domestic violence victims to later ask that charges be dismissed, so prosecutors typically do not drop the cases on that alone.

"We will be looking at the facts of the case," Patteson said.

U of L football coach Charlie Strong was aware of the situation but declined comment, according to university spokesman Rocco Gasparro.

Helman said Strong has Patrick "on hold" until the court case is resolved.

When Strong took over the football program, he emphasized five principles for players including "treat women with respect."

Patrick is the defensive player I've been most looking forward to watching in Strong's first season, and you can make the argument that he is U of L's most important player on that side of the ball. He's always possessed All-Big East ability, and the hope that a nationally renowned defensive specialist taking over the program could result in a monster season for No. 19 is one that I don't think I carried alone.

It'll be interesting to see how Strong handles this. His reputation is that of a staunch disciplinarian, but if the events of the night in question played out in the manner that Patrick and his girlfriend say they did, this probably isn't an offense that demands a suspension.

There is the possibility that Strong could view this as the opportunity to make a statement, but there's also the tiny fact that Louisville opens the season against Kentucky...and Louisville doesn't like Kentucky...and Kentucky doesn't like Louisville...and Louisville has lost to Kentucky three straight times.

Men of Louisville sports: if a female is hellbent on starting an argument with you, walk away from the situation, cut off communication for a night, then either work things out the next day or take your love life in a different direction.

I listen to a lot of 106.9...a lot of 106.9.