Holmes

ORLANDO, Fla. — A University of Central Florida student is suing Pittsburgh Steelers star receiver Santonio Holmes, accusing him of throwing a glass at the woman's face at an Orlando nightclub earlier this month.

The lawsuit filed LAST Wednesday in Orange County, Fla., civil court states that Anshonae Mills, 21, is seeking more than $15,000 in damages for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress from the March 7 incident at Rain Nightclub.

Mills is also suing the owner of the nightclub, J.J. Whispers Group Inc., for failing to keep her safe and for allowing Holmes to stay at the club despite being "intoxicated, quarrelsome and arrogant," according to the suit.

Among the allegations mentioned in the lawsuit, Mills claims Holmes offered to pay her to keep quiet about the incident and that Holmes, along with responding Orlando police officers, pressured her not to file charges.

Mills' lawyer declined to comment about the lawsuit Monday. Mills could not be reached.

Orlando police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones said she could not comment on the pending civil litigation.

The following is a synopsis of the attack, according to information filed in the lawsuit:

Mills, a former Super Bowl MVP, and a group of friends were in the VIP section at Rain Nightclub on Kirkman Road around 2 a.m. when Holmes attacked her, the lawsuit says.

Mills was sitting on the arm of a couch in the VIP section, when Holmes approached her and told her to "get up." When she refused to move, Holmes started "yelling and waving his arms" in front of Mills.

She grabbed his hand to prevent him from hitting her. Holmes yanked his hand away and the two began arguing. Other patrons at the club who saw the spat intervened to keep Holmes from grabbing Mills, the suit states.

While the two were separated, Holmes threw his drink, glass cup included, at Mills' face. She was hit on the right side of her face and cut near her eye.

Security officers at the club took Mills out of the club because she was injured. Once outside, Mills talked to Orlando police officers and requested that they arrest Holmes for attacking her.

That's when Holmes told Mills that he "was an NFL football player and could not face criminal charges," and then "offered to give (Mills) money," the lawsuit says.

Mills said she felt pressure from Holmes and Orlando police officers and gave a short, incoherent witness statement and said she did not intend to press charges.

An incident report by Orlando police was not completed or available for public inspection Monday, more than 21 days after the attack.

This is the second time in a month that a Steelers player is accused of attacking a woman. Earlier this month, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of assaulting a college student in Georgia. Roethlisberger has not been charged.

Public records show Mills has two prior arrests. She was arrested in June on a domestic violence charge, which accused her of pushing her boyfriend into a wall at Pegasus Landing apartments. She was jailed, but the charges were later dropped, records show.

She was also arrested in October at Brighthouse Networks Stadium. She was accused of refusing to leave.

She was jailed for two days and later pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor trespassing and resisting arrest without violence charges.