Boston Marathon Dad Mike Rossi Charged With Punching a Woman

Mike Rossi in a Philadelphia Police Department photo.

Every time we write a story about Mike Rossi, we think to ourselves, Well, that will probably be the last time we write about Mike Rossi. Alas …

Rossi, 50, was arrested shortly after midnight on Saturday outside the Wells Fargo Center, which had just hosted a Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert.

According to the Philadelphia Police Department, there was a “domestic incident” in which Rossi allegedly punched a 47-year-old woman during an argument. Police say that an unknown man intervened in the fight, which could explain Rossi’s own injuries, as shown in his mugshot.

Rossi has been charged with simple assault. After posting bail, which was set at $1,500, Rossi was released.

When we reached Rossi on Sunday night for comment, he directed us to a public Facebook post he made after the arrest.

“I have officially hit rock bottom,” he wrote.

Here’s the rest of Rossi’s full, unedited post:

It’s been a hellish past 2 1/2 years and despite my positive public persona it’s taken a toll on my family and I.

Most of it I brought on myself and I take full responsibility.

To mask the pain I reached for the bottle and it became an addiction. Now I have to change. Completely.

I am sorry to anyone, friends and enemies alike, for anything I said or did to hurt you. Some of the things I’ve done and said are troubling to me.

I am going to fight to become a better person and the man my family deserves.

I’ll be getting off social media to work on getting better.

Rossi first gained notoriety in the Philadelphia area as one of the hosts of the hit 1980s TV show Dancin’ on Air, later settling into private life as a wedding and radio DJ.

But in 2015, Rossi became a national headline after taking his kids out of school to watch him run the Boston Marathon. The school principal sent him a letter, scolding him for the unexcused absence, and Rossi’s written response scolding the principal went viral. He was dad of the year for a day or two.

Unfortunately for Rossi, his newfound prominence led some to take a hard look at his running times. He was accused of cheating in the race that qualified him for the Boston Marathon, a charge he has repeatedly denied.

Things quieted down for a bit until Rossi was arrested at a Kenny Chesney concert in June 2016. He was charged with criminal trespass after he refused repeated police requests to leave an area outside the concert. That record was expunged after Rossi paid a fine and completed a court-run class.

Rossi is due back in court on September 18th.

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