Paul Bissonnette was assaulted by a group of men at an Arizona restaurant this week, and the ex-NHL player took to social media on Monday to share his side of the story.
According to the Scottsdale Police Department, Bissonnette was involved in an altercation on Sunday night at Houston’s restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz. The former Arizona Coyotes enforcer, who now has prominent media roles with Barstool Sports and TNT, is a regular at the establishment.
Police said six men were arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct after they got into a fight with Bissonnette, who stepped in to help when the men were giving the restaurant’s management a hard time.
“There was an altercation inside the restaurant with six adult men and the management. Reportedly, Paul Bissonnette tried to help management calm the men and get them to leave,” Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis told FOX 10 in Phoenix. “The situation escalated to the men assaulting Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside of the restaurant.”
Bissonnette, who is known to his fans as “BizNasty,” addressed the incident on Monday night. The 39-year-old said he was sitting in the dining area at Houston’s when he heard “a ruckus going on in the bar.” He ventured over to find a group of “drunk golfers” giving the restaurant’s manager a hard time after one of the men was asked to leave.
“They asked one guy to leave, and then one guy kept getting in the manager’s face, putting his hands on him. That went on for about 30-45 seconds and you could tell he was a little shocked and surprised and stunned,” Bissonnette recalled. “It’s a family restaurant. I don’t think there was anybody in there who could go maybe, like, help him out. So, I went over, I just grabbed the guy’s arm that was on him and said, ‘Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we’re gonna have problems.’ And then they just starting chucking. It escalated extremely quickly. I think it was seven guys that I fought with throughout the course of the restaurant, all the way into the parking lot, over to CVS.
“I got taken down a couple times. I got boot f–ed in the head three times by the CVS. Luckily I didn’t get knocked out. I did go to the hospital, so that’s probably what everybody’s reading about. Just bad dudes, way too drunk and I don’t know what else they had in their system.”
Thanks for your calls & messages. Love you fuckers. Had a blast getting to record @spittinchiclets today and share some laughs with the gang. See you tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5WOxkxARvx
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) November 26, 2024
The men who were arrested have not yet been identified. Police say five are facing misdemeanors while the sixth is facing a felony charge.
Bissonnette played in the NHL for the Coyotes from 2009-2014. He was a scrappy player who was known for getting into fights, which helped him gain popularity that he parlayed into a successful media career. Bissonnette has gone viral for a number of entertaining TV moments over the years.
