Pittsburgh Steelers player allegedly assaulted and robbed in Dublin ahead of NFL game

An American football player visiting Dublin for Sunday’s National Football League (NFL) game in Croke Park was allegedly assaulted and robbed in the capital in the early hours of Saturday.

Skylar Thompson, a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, suffered minor injuries in the alleged incident, which took place in the Dame Street area at around 2.30am.

He was treated by emergency services at the scene and did not require hospital treatment, sources said.

The alleged incident happened during an interaction between the football player and a group of males in the Temple Bar area.

It is understood Mr Thompson’s phone was stolen.

He informed his team’s management about the incident. He has yet to make a formal complaint, however.

Gardaí from Pearse Street are making their own inquiries into the allegation following media reports.

Mr Thompson (28) was with the team but had not been expected to play. He is currently in the reserve team following a previous injury.

The Steelers played the Minnesota Vikings in Croke Park on Sunday as part of an international expansion of the NFL.

A spokeswoman for the team told NFL journalist Tom Pelissero that it is “aware of a situation involving Skylar Thompson on Friday night in Dublin”.

“We will have no further comment at this time as we are working with NFL security to gather more information regarding the incident.”

In a statement, the NFLPA, the association representing players in the league, said it was “actively gathering more information and working to understand the full circumstances surrounding what took place”.

The NFLPA added: “As always, our priority is the health and safety of our player members – especially as we continue to work on player protections and wellbeing while playing international games – and we will continue to support Skylar in any way he needs.”