A real estate networking event in Lakewood last summer is said to have taken an ugly turn when an NFL lineman-turned-broker “forcibly slammed” a developer to the ground.
Nick Steitz was an offensive guard at the University of Oregon before turning pro in 2005. He played three years in the NFL and one season in the Arena Football League. After football, he joined CBRE in 2011 and then JLL in 2016.
Brad Eide is a developer with Denver-based Elevate Cos. who has bought land for apartment projects in RiNo and Lincoln Park.
In a lawsuit last month, Eide said that he met Steitz at a golf outing for real estate execs at the Lakewood Country Club on June 3. (The local construction company RK Industries, which reportedly hosted the shindig, declined offers to discuss what happened there.)
Eide said that he finished golfing with his foursome, entered the clubhouse, and was greeted for the first time by Steitz, whom he described as 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds.
“During Defendant Steitz and Plaintiff’s conversation, Defendant Steitz picked Plaintiff up off the ground and held him over his shoulder for reasons unknown,” Eide’s lawsuit alleged.
“Steitz began bouncing Plaintiff, causing Plaintiff pain,” it went on to say. “Plaintiff protested being picked up by Defendant Steitz. Plaintiff was in imminent fear of bodily injury. Plaintiff did not consent to Defendant Steitz’s physical contact. Defendant forcefully slammed Plaintiff to the ground, striking a table in the process. Plaintiff sustained serious bodily injury.”
Eide then hired the Ramos personal injury law firm and sued Steitz in January. His lawyer, Josh Hotchkiss, did not respond to requests to discuss the extent of his client’s injuries.
Eide says Steitz was aggressive earlier in the day too, tackling a guest on a putting green, and yet the club and JLL did nothing to stop Steitz, a company vice president. So, Eide is suing the brokerage and the country club, in addition to Steitz, for an unstated amount.
“Plaintiff incurred medical expenses, wage loss, physical and emotional injuries including but not limited to physical injuries and impairment, past, present and future physical pain and suffering and mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life,” his lawsuit claimed.
Steitz, 42, did not answer several requests for comment on the lawsuit last week. Neither did the Lakewood Country Club or corporate spokespeople for JLL.
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