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Lawyers for a former NFL player who appeared to be violently assaulted by a police officer have announced that new evidence shows their client did not commit a crime and was instead the victim of excessive force during a violent arrest late last year near Atlanta.

Police investigators in Georgia have been caught trying to protect the cop who assaulted a handcuffed Desmond Marrow in December, L. Chris Stewart told NewsOne after the lawsuit was filed Monday.

“This massive cover-up is horribly shocking,” Stewart said after he filed the lawsuit in Georgia’s Henry County court months after the incident stemming from road rage that ended with an officer’s hands wrapped around Marrow’s throat.

See Also: Desmond Marrow Traumatized, Feared Police Harassment After Brutal Arrest

The entire episode was caught on video.

Marrow, who previously played defensive back for the Houston Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was allegedly choked until he was unconscious and suffered a concussion before being charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. The Henry County solicitor ended up dropping the felonies but recently informed Marrow’s lawyers of additional misdemeanor charges against their client.

“We believe the new charges are an attempt to silence Mr. Marrow and to prevent the lawsuit from going forward,” Gerald Griggs, an attorney on Marrow’s defense team, told NewsOne. “Based on the evidence, the officer should be charged, and there should be a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) investigation and indictments against the defendants.”

A request to the Henry County District Attorney’s office for comment was not immediately returned.

A bystander recorded video of arresting officer David Rose appearing to choke Marrow, who was in handcuffs. An internal investigation completed five days later exonerated Rose even though dash cam video recorded the officer admitting to the assault.

The bystander’s footage showed Rose and other officers sweeping Marrow’s legs to forcefully take him down while he was handcuffed. The former football player could be heard crying out that he couldn’t breathe when Rose put his hand on Marrow’s throat.

Following a national outcry when the bystander’s video went viral in April, a second internal investigation by the same officials mysteriously found fault with Rose’s actions that had apparently been elusive previously. Rose was later fired.

A hate crime led to the arrest, one of Marrow’s attorneys, Andrea Boyd, told NewsOne previously. Two White men, in a road rage incident, called Marrow the N-word and threw a cup of hot coffee into his car, she said. Marrow followed the vehicle to get the license plate number. The athlete continued his pursuit into a shopping center parking lot.

Scott Davis, one of the men in the other vehicle, claimed that he and his passenger were the victims. He alleged that Marrow began riding his bumper and cursed at him and his friend. Davis called the cops and told them that Marrow threatened to shoot them. However, police did not find a weapon on Marrow after the arrest.

Marrow was originally charged with terroristic threats, which is a felony charge, as well as misdemeanor charges of aggressive driving and reckless driving. Even though the felonies were dropped, he was still facing misdemeanors, including battery and obstruction.

Marrow said he feared police harassment because authorities knew he had the video showing the vicious arrest.

“People were trying to get me to sell the video,” Marrow told NewsOne back in May. “I was going up against the county, and they knew I had a copy of the video.”

Marrow’s attorneys were calling for the resignation of law enforcement and county officials involved in what they called a cover-up. Marrow previously warned that he would sue if all the charges weren’t dropped and the officers involved weren’t fired.

“A lawsuit is coming if they don’t come to the table,” he said at the time. “We’re hoping they do the right thing.”

SEE ALSO:

Black Leaders Pay Tribute To Sen. John McCain Who Leaves A Mixed Legacy With African Americans

‘Massive Cover-Up’: New Evidence In Desmond Marrow Beating Shows Police Should Be Charged, Lawyers Say  was originally published on newsone.com