Competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut admitted to police that he was "pretty drunk" during a bar fight in March, during which he slapped a man. Newly released police video shows Chestnut telling officers from the Westfield Police Department that he had no recollection of the incident that occurred on March 21 at Joe's Grille in Westfield, Indiana.
When questioned by police on March 22, Chestnut initially stated, "No," when asked if he had any idea what the officers were talking about. He reiterated, "I have no idea what you are talking about." Police explained that surveillance video from the bar appeared to show Chestnut striking the man after an issue over a handshake. Chestnut responded, "I’m sorry. Maybe I felt like I was being threatened or outnumbered. I don’t know."
After being shown the body camera footage of the altercation, Chestnut stated he still had no memory of the event. "That does not look nice. I feel really bad about that," he said.
Chestnut was subsequently charged with misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury. Court records indicate that he pleaded guilty to the charge on April 20 and was sentenced to 180 days of probation. His attorney, Mario Massillamany, stated that Chestnut took "full responsibility for this misunderstanding" and that the resolution, including probation, reflects the incident as an "isolated misunderstanding rather than anything more serious."
Despite the legal proceedings, Chestnut is scheduled to participate in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island, where he will aim to defend his championship title.