Kwame Harris, Gay NFL Star Assaults Ex-Boyfriend Dimitri Geier: Charged with Felony Domestic Violence, Claims Self-Defense

Reports confirm that former NFL offensive tackle Kwame Harris has been charged with felony domestic violence and abuse after allegedly assaulting his ex-boyfriend, Dimitri Geier. The charges stem from an altercation back in August, when Harris allegedly beat his former lover outside of a Menlo Park restaurant, leaving him with several facial fractures that required surgery.

A San Mateo County judge handed down Harris' felony charge during a pretrial hearing on Monday (Jan. 28) after the former San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders star plead not guilty. A trial date has been scheduled for sometime in late April. Harris posted his own bail for $75,000 following his arrest.

Harris was arrested in Menlo Park, California on August 21 when police responded to an assault call. Harris planned on driving Geier to the San Francisco International Airport after having dinner together that evening. Apparently during the farewell dinner, Geier poured soy sauce on a plate of rice, angering 30-year-old Harris. The pair then went out to retrieve Geier's belongings from Harris' car. The story gets weird from there.

At his vehicle, Harris accused Geier of stealing his underwear... he then tried pulling his pants down. Geier attempted to escape but Harris grabbed onto him - allegedly shaking him and ultimately punching him in the face. Geier ended up with several broken orbital bones in his face, which he had to undergo surgery to repair.

 Harris insists that Geier was the one who punched him first, so he hit back in self-defense.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti recently told the San Mateo Daily Journal that Harris and Geier had been in a romantic relationship in the past, but were not involved at the time of the incident. Harris' attorney Alin Cintean confirms this by telling the paper that the two "were previously involved." Cintean also claims that Harris is innocent - ""Mr. Geier first assaulted my client, and my client had a reasonable response to being assaulted. Unfortunately, Mr. Geier is the one who ended up with an injury... This really is a pure self-defense case. He was attacked."

Meanwhile, prosecutors are pursuing the domestic violence charge, claiming that the two men used to live together during their on-and-off again romance. According to Assistant District Attorney Al Serrato, "Whenever we move forward with charges, it's because we believe the evidence is sufficient. Certainly the injuries are consistent with a serious assault."

Cintean claims that Harris openly identifies as gay but remains very quiet about it - "He is a very private person. He doesn't like to talk about his personal life." While several former NFL players have come out as gay during retirement, no players have done so while active in the professional sports league.