Shields defends Kiefer over headbutting episode

New York (ANI): Brooke Shields has defended pal Kiefer Sutherland after he was charged with assaulting fashion designer Jack McCollough. Shields' attorney Gerald Lefcourt has issued a statement, insisting the '24' star was just being a gentleman.

"While at [the after-party at SubMercer,] Brooke was bumped into by Jack McCollough, and Kiefer Sutherland became concerned. Kiefer has always been a gentleman in her company," the New York Daily News quoted the statement. A source echoed Brooke's statement, saying that McCollough "may have shoved Kiefer first."

Meanwhile, an attorney for Sutherland has released a statement, insisting that the actor was not to blame in an alleged assault on McCollough. Sutherland's attorney Michael C. Miller is confident that the investigation will prove he 'was neither the instigator nor a wrongdoer in this incident.'