LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Robbie Valentine, a member of Louisville's 1986 NCAA championship team, was arrested Thursday night on a charge of strangulation.
Valentine got into an argument with his girlfriend when she discussed moving out, according to a Louisville Metro Police arrest citation.
Valentine slammed her phone down, dumped her purse in the sink, threw her off a bed and began strangling the woman, according to police.
The police report said the victim had redness and bruises on her neck.
Valentine pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Brian Butler, on Friday. His bond has been set at $2,500. Valentine was released from Metro Corrections after posting bond Friday afternoon, according to court records.
NOW: Robbie Valentine, a member of Louisville’s 1986 NCAA championship team, was just released from Metro Corrections after posting bond. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/MiNxC0RlAa
— Jailen Leavell (@nextleavell) February 10, 2023
Butler declined to comment until he has had time to talk more with Valentine and review the facts of the case.
If released on bond, Valentine is to have no contact with the alleged victim.
The charge was initially 2nd-degree strangulation but upgraded to 1st-degree during his arraignment. He is scheduled to be back in court on February 20.
The arrest report noted alcohol was involved in the incident.
Valentine was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2010 and 2019, according to court records.
Valentine, a consistent presence at UofL games over the years, works for ASM Global, which manages the KFC Yum! Center.
ASM is unable to comment on personnel matters, spokeswoman Sandra Moran said in an email Friday.
For more than 35 years, the Robbie Valentine Basketball Summer Camp has been a premiere youth summer camp in Louisville.
Valentine, a member of the UofL Hall of Fame, has raised over $250,000 for local charities and averages 450 speaking engagements a year at schools, banquets, and churches.
He was honored by the Radcliff City Council by having the street he grew up on named "Robbie Valentine Drive."
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