Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair spent part of Father’s Day in jail. The ex-professional wrestler reportedly punched his 17- and 13-year-old sons after arriving home shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday, June 21.
According to reports from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Blair, 52, pushed his older son in the chest. As the teen tried to walk away, his father grabbed him and then punched him in the face with a closed fist, the teen said. Blair then reportedly placed the child in a choke hold.
Deputies wrote that when Blair released the 17-year-old, he grabbed the younger son by the throat and then punched him as well.
Both sons identified Blair as their attacker.
Commissioner Kevin Beckner defeated Blair in last year’s election by more than 10% of the vote. Blair has a history of anti-LGBT advocacy, including a controversial 2005 ban on LGBT Pride displays in Hillsborough County public facilities. He also supported a campaign against the annual Day of Silence in schools, which students arranged as a way to shine a light on LGBT bullying.
After the election, Blair sued Beckner, contending that Beckner’s campaign attacks on him were so extreme that they amounted to libel.
Beckner’s attorneys have responded that the statements in dispute were nothing more than typical campaigning. Beckner merely reprinted or summarized statements that had already been made by or about Blair during the political contest, they said.
