Maurice Jones-Drew faces civil suit for alleged 'violent punch'

Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew may soon be back on the First Coast to face a civil lawsuit for allegedly punching a security guard last year.

Kasim Howard, a security guard at the Conch House restaurant in St. Augustine, alleges  in a court complaint obtained by WOKV that Jones-Drew “approached rapidly from the blind-side and delivered a violent punch” to his left jaw.

He says he was knocked “down and out,” and was sent to Flagler Hospital for injuries including “contusions, loss of consciousness, a concussion, and a herniated disc of the spine.”

Jones-Drew is charged with battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  He’s seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages including “an award of costs, attorney fees, and any other relief the Court deems just.”

Court records show that a personal summons was issued for Jones-Drew on May 30.

"Mr. Howard is a private person and is not interested in lots of attention from this case," Howard's attorney Patrick T. Canan said in a statement. "He simply wants justice. He was viciously sucker punched by Mr. Jones-Drew over a year ago. We have been patient investigating the case and determining the extent of Mr. Howard's injuries. They are serious and life altering."

"The State Attorney shut this down after reviewing everything," Jones Drew's attorney Hank Coxe said in a statement.   "We haven't heard anything in ages and then we get a lawsuit after he moves to Oakland? We will deal with this in the judicial system as we have everything else."

In June 2013, the State Attorney’s Office announced it was not going to prosecute Jones-Drew because of a lack of evidence.