Another Day, Another Court Appearance

Yesterday it was Jason Shirley. Today, LB Ahmad Brooks is in court to answer charges he punched a woman in the face.

"Destiny Rosich gave a sworn statement that Brooks was arguing outside her neighbor’s home on April 9 in the 7600 block of Banklick Street. She said her children were outside playing and began to cry because Brooks and the neighbor were about to start a fistfight.Brooks told the neighbor that he was going to “split her head open,” she wrote in her statement.When she asked Brooks to stop, he punched her, she said. She fell and blacked out. When she gained consciousness, she grabbed her children, ran inside her home, called 911 and was taken to an emergency room."

More as the story develops.

Update: The Cincinnati Enquirer’s main Bengals page now features this headline and deck:

"Brooks takes mediation dealBengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks has accepted mediation on charges he punched a Florence woman in the left eye during an altercation in April."

No update to the story yet, though.

Update 2: Details:

"Charged with misdemeanor assault, Brooks did not appear at this morning’s arraignment in Boone District Court. His attorney presented a mediation agreement signed by both parties, according to the court office.…After mediation, the case is expected to be reviewed again in September."

Well, I suppose that’s that. On the good side, this seems likely to put an end to this sad episode, unless Roger Goodell chooses to get involved — but with the incident apparently being swept under the rug that seems unlikely. On the bad side, it’s hard not to interpret this as an admission on Brooks’ part that, yeah, I popped her. And there’s no excuse for that whatsoever.

On a related note, Mark Curnutte reports that the Bengals expect Jason Shirley to be at the upcoming mandatory minicamp despite his ongoing legal issues in California.