Allegations that Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman slapped a patron at a Morristown, NJ, restaurant last month are "completely baseless," according to a Florham Park law firm representing Thurman that conducted an investigation of the allegation.
The investigation was led by Patricia Prezioso, a former New Jersey assistant attorney general and Manhattan assistant district attorney and a partner in the firm of McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, P.C., of Florrham Park. She was assisted by Bruce S. Rosen, also a partner in the firm and a former N.J. State Police detective.
The investigation included interviewing witnesses who were feet away in the bar area at Pazzo Pazzo restaurant at the time that the incident allegedly occurred, interviewing staff at the restaurant who were on duty at the time Thurman was there, reviewing security camera footage, examining the publicly available criminal history of the accuser, and reviewing published photographs related to the incident that appear to have been taken with a cellphone. The accuser's statements to police and media outlets were also considered.
Thurman has decided against pursuing civil or criminal remedies for the false accusations, the law firm said in a press release it issued about its investigation. The coach also expressed thanks to media outlets that questioned the veracity of the charges, witnesses who came forward to provide information, and his family and the Jets organization for supporting him in this matter.
