Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Charges against Washington Redskins offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges stemming from an incident at a North Carolina restaurant have been dropped.
Mecklenburg County District Court spokesman Charles Keller said Monday that two counts of simple assault and one count of communicating threats were dismissed by the District Attorney.
No other information was immediately available.
Bridges was a member of the Carolina Panthers when he was arrested on Dec. 7 in Charlotte. He was accused of spraying champagne on other customers and getting into a dispute with a restaurant employee a night earlier while he celebrated his anniversary with his wife.
It marked the second time in 16 months that Bridges was arrested on an assault charge. He was convicted of pointing a gun at a woman outside a strip club a day before the Panthers reported to training camp in 2007.
The team suspended Bridges for the first two regular-season games for that incident. He was later convicted, given a suspended 60-day jail sentence and ordered to perform community service.
Carolina, which deactivated Bridges from its game the night after his second arrest in December, released him in a salary-cap move in February. He signed with the Redskins last month.
Bridges twice had hearings in his latest case postponed when snowfall closed the court. The case was delayed again after Bridges changed attorneys before the charges were dropped.
That should prevent Bridges from facing penalties under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
LIONS
ALLEN PARK, Mich. ó Detroit added offensive tackle Jon Jansen, who passed his physical and was signed after the team cut tackle George Foster earlier in the day.
Jansen, from the Detroit suburb of Clawson, was cut by Washington on Friday.
He insists he can still contribute after injuries took a toll on his career. Jansen started all but one game over seven seasons after being drafted from Michigan a decade ago, but he didn’t play in 2004 or in 2007. He was limited to 11 starts last season.
CARDINALS
TEMPE, Ariz. ó Arizona general manager Rod Graves says he looks forward to working with Anquan Boldin’s new agent, Tom Condon.
Condon has not confirmed multiple reports he was hired by Boldin, but Graves ended any doubt with his comments after the Cardinals practiced Monday.
Boldin, embroiled in a long contract fight with the Cardinals, fired Drew Rosenhaus, who had represented him since the wide receiver was drafted out of Florida State in 2003.
JETS
NEW YORK ó Jets running back Leon Washington returned to the team after boycotting practice the last three weeks while in a contract dispute.
Washington, selected for his first Pro Bowl last season as a kick returner, was back on the field to start New York’s final week of team activities.
EAGLES
PHILADELPHIA ó The Eagles added former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart to their coaching staff.
Stewart will be a special assistant to the defense, working primarily with the secondary. Sean McDermott, the secondary coach last season, now is running the defense while defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is on an indefinite leave of absence to continue treatment for a cancerous tumor on his spine.
BENGALS
BATAVIA, Ohio ó Cincinnati cornerback Leon Hall pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in his drunken driving case, allowing him to avoid jail time.
Hall pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless operation of a vehicle. Clermont County Municipal Court Judge James Shriver sentenced him to attend a three-day program that deals with how alcohol and drugs affect driving. The rest of his 30-day sentence was suspended.
Hall also must perform 64 hours of community service.
CHIEFS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Longtime NFL executive Joel Collier has been hired by the as assistant general manager.
NEW YORK STADIUM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó The New York Jets and Giants signed a memorandum of understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency that will make their new $1.6 billion football stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands one of the greenest in professional sports.
The agreement details ways the teams will reduce air pollution, conserve water and energy, improve waste management and reduce the environmental impact of construction on the stadium that is scheduled to open for the 2010 season.
The 82,500 seats are being made from recycled iron and plastic.