Dimitri Patterson Facing Felony Child-Abuse Charge: Latest Details and Reaction

Former NFL cornerback Dimitri Patterson is facing a charge of felony child abuse after an alleged altercation with a former girlfriend on Aug. 1 led to his 1-year-old son suffering a head injury.

Rich Cimini of ESPN reports the incident in question occurred at a South Florida shopping mall, where Patterson met Erika Medina for a custody exchange. The police report states the situation became heated due to a disagreement over child support payments.

Medina claims she began recording him on her phone due to previous incidents of Patterson being "violent to her in the past." She states he then pushed her to the ground while she was holding the child, which caused the infant to fall and hit his head. A mall employee later corroborated the claims.

Police were alerted with a 911 call and eventually caught up with Patterson at his home after he left with his eight-year-old daughter. He was charged with misdemeanor battery along with child abuse and is due in court on Aug. 31, according to the report.

The corner last played with the Miami Dolphins in 2013. He was on the New York Jets roster leading up to the 2014 campaign but was suspended and later released after spontaneously leaving the team, with the Jets stating he didn't tell anybody about his decision.

He's remained a free agent since then, with Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo previously reporting he turned down an offer to join the Seattle Seahawks for the veteran's minimum last October. There was no buzz about him during the offseason, and this incident would likely make it even more difficult to resume his football career.