New York Athletic Club brawl offers glimpse into ‘elite’ gym
Even the straight-laced 1 Percent can lose its cool sometimes.
Word of a rumble at the prestigious New York Athletic Club has been spreading since the whole thing went down on April 13. By all accounts, this was no glove-smack duel challenge, as we’d expect from these types of gym-goers. No, this was an all out, balls-to-the wall brawl, proving that sometimes the biggest meatheads are in the most unsuspecting places.
Wall Street Jackass reports the meathead melee all started in the club’s tap room as two men got into a dispute over a girl. Yep, the age-old reason for fighting doesn’t discriminate based on financial status. It wasn’t long before countless people joined in on the rumble, from members to employees, beating each other senseless like a bunch of well-dressed hooligans. Broken glass flew through the air and tables were overturned like paper cups.
“It was the best fight I’ve ever seen. Young people, old people, girls, members, non-members, it was a nondiscriminatory ragematch,” a witness told Wall Street Jackass.
Two men, Peter Doran and Matthew O’Grady, were arrested and charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, according to The New York Times. A third man, Colin Drowica, was charged with attempted menacing after he was accused of clutching a security guard’s arm.
The club’s president, S. Colin Neill, sent members a strongly worded note printed on exquisite stationary.
“I cannot state forcefully enough how abhorrent this event it to me, personally, and how contrary it is to the standards of decorum that we expect of our members and their guests,” the letter said, according to The Times.
The New York Athletic Club boasts Olympic medal-winning members and a joiner’s fee of $8,500 with an annual membership price of $3,000. You’d think some of that profit could go towards a security team, but apparently it’s just spent on watercress sandwiches and towel warmers. 
