It was the middle of the night when Eddy Piñeiro Jr. heard a couple arguing outside.
About 2 a.m. Oct. 15, the then kicker for the Florida Gators looked outside his third-floor Varsity House Apartment window, according to police. Piñeiro watched as a man threw a woman to the ground, climbed on top of her and began punching her.
Piñeiro and his father later ran downstairs to intervene, an act that Gainesville Police is now recognizing as an act of heroism. Sunday, Piñeiro tweeted a photo of a Police Service Award he received.
“This is a perfect example of why you should never put your hands on a woman! You will go to jail for a long time!” Piñeiro wrote. “Treat women with respect!”
The man, 20-year-old Stephon Raymond Coney, had grabbed the woman as she tried to run away from him toward a car as Piñeiro and his father made it ground level, according to the arrest report. Twenty-two-year-old Piñeiro then grabbed Coney and pushed him to the side, allowing the woman to escape, according to the report.
GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias wrote in an email that police normally advise people to not take action when they witness a possibly dangerous crime but rather call 911 immediately.
“Officers have the training, techniques and tools to remain safe,” Tobias said. “That being said — we know there are members of our community that are brave and comfortable entering into unknown situations to help out others.”
Due to the father and son’s “selfless acts and extreme bravery,” the award read, “the victim was saved from possible severe injuries or even death.”
Piñeiro announced in December he would not return to the Gators next season to instead pursue the 2018 NFL draft.
Coney remains in Alachua County Jail as of press time.
When police arrested Coney in October, they searched a standing warrant to find he and the victim were once a romantic couple. Coney and the victim had been dating on and off for about two years and had lived together, according to court records.
He currently faces five battery charges, three of which are domestic and involve the same victim.
Piñeiro could not be reached for comment.
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @hoffdavid123.
Eddy Pineiro (15) smiles as he walks off the field after making a field goal during the Orange & Blue Debut on April 8, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
