NEW YORK » A tearful California woman has told a jury she was punched in the face outside a Manhattan nightclub four years ago by a football player who’s now a receiver for the New York Jets.

Christin Myles sobbed today as she described being struck outside the Marquee nightclub. She says she saw tattoos on the man’s forearm and his blue, rolled-up shirt sleeves.

Her lawyer said during opening statements in the civil trial that she later discovered the man was receiver Brandon Marshall. He now plays for the New York Jets.

Marshall’s lawyer said his client did not hit her and that the woman, who now lives in Chino, California, started the altercation by trying to punch Marshall’s friend.

Myles is seeking damages for injuries that she says still linger.