A former Patriots player who later helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their only Super Bowl was ordered Wednesday to stay away from his ex-wife and her Quincy home after he allegedly threatened her.
Greg Spires, who played three seasons with the Patriots before they released him in 2001, has been embroiled in contentious litigation with his former wife, Dara Spires, since they began divorce proceedings in 2005.
Last month, the former Patriots defensive end sent his ex-wife a text message amid a dispute over finances and visitation with their 13-year-old daughter.
“No stopping until justice is served,’’ Spires wrote, according to copies of the text submitted to Mark Coven, first justice of the Quincy District Court. “You have been stealing from me for a long time. This will not get better for you only worse. If you’re thinking about leaving you better go now. I’m coming!!!’’
Dara Spires testified she fears for her life.
“He’s going to kill me, there is no doubt,’’ she told Coven. “Or he is going to have someone kill me.’’
Coven issued an abuse prevention order that bars Spires from contacting his former wife, coming within 100 yards of her, or approaching her home until a subsequent hearing on April 7, 2017.
Greg Spires, who lives in Cypress, Texas, did not attend the hearing. In a telephone interview, he denied threatening his ex-wife, calling the allegation “bogus.’’
“When I said, ‘I’m coming,’ I meant I’m coming to take you to probate court,’’ he said. “That’s all. It was blown out of proportion.’’
He said a doctor advised him against traveling to the hearing because he needs two knee replacements.
“If I was able to come there and testify, there would be no restraining order,’’ Spires said.
His lawyer, John DeVito, asked Coven to defer the matter so it could be heard in Norfolk Probate and Family Court, where the couple has numerous matters pending. Coven denied the request, but he said the abuse prevention order is subject to any ruling by the probate court.
Dara Spires testified that a Texas woman who knows Greg Spires advised her to “run’’ for her safety. She declined to identify the woman, saying she might also be in danger if she did so.
Coven also ordered Greg Spires to surrender any guns he owns to the police.
DeVito asserted that Dara Spires has a history of credibility problems. He noted she lied under oath in 2006 about being romantically involved with former American League MVP Jason Giambi, who at the time was playing for the New York Yankees.
DeVito also cited a probate judge’s ruling in 2007 that, “on disputed evidence, I discredit and disbelieve Dara’s attempt to characterize her marriage to Greg as one that involved substantial domestic violence.’’
Dara Spires has testified that her husband physically abused her in their Canton home in 2005, precipitating their divorce. A Canton police report that year alleged officers also recovered an unlicensed handgun from the home.
The case went before a clerk magistrate in Stoughton District Court. According to a court document, Spires agreed to enter anger management therapy, and no charges were filed.
Greg Spires said by phone that he agreed to therapy only to facilitate seeing his daughter. Both he and his ex-wife have since made a multitude of allegations against each other in regard to the child’s care and support.
Greg and Dara Spires met at Florida State University, while she was tutoring the football team. He was selected by New England in the third round of the 1998 draft and appeared in 42 games in three seasons with the Patriots. In 2000, he and Willie McGinest led the team in sacks, with six each.
After the Patriots released him, Spires spent the 2001 season with the Cleveland Browns before signing with the Buccaneers.
He thrived with Bucs, becoming a defensive mainstay from 2002 to 2007. He recorded an early sack in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl romp over Oakland during the 2002 season.
Bob Hohler can be reached at robert.hohler@globe.com.
