Bill Walsh Punched In Casino

Former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh was punched in the mouth by another casino patron while playing blackjack at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.

Kurt Allen Lewis, 30, of Bakersfield, was cited for misdemeanor battery for hitting the 66-year-old Walsh early Wednesday.

Walsh, his lip swollen, didn't show up for the first day of a celebrity golf tournament at nearby Genoa Lakes.

According to the sheriff's report, Lewis said he was looking over Walsh's shoulder, saw Walsh peek at a face-down card and jokingly told him he shouldn't do that.

Lewis said Walsh got irritated, waved a hand at him, brushing his shirt, and said, "Do you know who I am? Get away from me." Lewis then hit him.

Walsh's version was that Lewis was crowding him and he was punched when he extended his right arm toward him to create space between them.

Walsh retired as the 49ers coach after the 1988 season, with 102 wins in 10 years and Super Bowl titles in 1982, 1985 and 1989.

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