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Scott Campbell
05-18-2006, 05:13 PM
Manning Jr., Drew charged with assault after fight
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Chicago Bears cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. and two former UCLA football players were charged with assault Thursday for allegedly taking part in an early morning fight at a restaurant last month.

Manning was charged with one count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, Deputy District Attorney Karen Murcia said.

His arraignment was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Manning has previously declined comment.

Manning, a former UCLA star, was arrested April 23, along with former Bruins Tyler Ebell and Maurice Drew, after they allegedly attacked a man at a restaurant near the UCLA campus in Westwood.

Police said the players then drove off in Manning's SUV but were pulled over by officers soon after when the vehicle was spotted by a helicopter crew.

All three were released on $30,000 bail each.

Ebell, 22, and Drew were expected to surrender and be arraigned at a later date, Murcia said.

Drew, 21, was taken by Jacksonville in the second round of the NFL draft. The running back attended minicamp in Florida last month.

Manning, 25, signed with the Bears last month after the Carolina Panthers declined to match Chicago's offer sheet. He is on probation for an assault in April 2002. If convicted, he faces up to four years in state prison.

Joemailman
05-18-2006, 06:09 PM
The fact that Manning is on probation for a previous assault could be very important if he is convicted. A judge isn't as likely to go easy on someone who is a repeat offender.

MadtownPacker
05-18-2006, 08:41 PM
I really hope manning gets away with it that way he can be starting opening week. He aint nothing and would get severly scorched by DD.

Murphy37
05-18-2006, 09:29 PM
I really hope manning gets away with it that way he can be starting opening week. He aint nothing and would get severly scorched by DD.


Oh Mad, Confidence is so sexy.

MadtownPacker
05-18-2006, 11:32 PM
Get a towel cuz you aint seen nothing yet.

Tarlam!
05-19-2006, 01:21 AM
Get a towel cuz you aint seen nothing yet.

BOMNF! :lol:

MJZiggy
05-19-2006, 05:50 PM
And in other NFC North news,

Vikings lose fullback Goodspeed to knee injury
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Three-year veteran Joey Goodspeed, expected to provide the Minnesota Vikings backup experience at the fullback position and solid special teams play, has been lost to a knee injury.

Goodspeed, 28, tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during the Vikings' minicamp practice last Saturday, and likely will miss the entire 2006 season. The team has not made a roster move yet, but almost certainly will place Goodspeed on the injured reserve list.

The former Notre Dame standout was signed to a one-year, $500,000 contract this spring after not playing in the league in 2005. Goodspeed was projected as the backup to Tony Richardson, the former Kansas City standout fullback who signed with Minnesota as an unrestricted free agent.

Under former head coach Mike Tice, the Vikings did not have a true fullback on the roster, and instead used tight ends or H-backs to play the position, when necessary. But the West Coast-style offense that is being implemented by first-year coach Brad Childress relies heavily on the fullback, and Vikings officials were busy in the offseason addressing the position.

The situation appeared to be a good one for Goodspeed, an itinerant player with good size (6-feet-1, 247 pounds) and surprising quickness, before the knee injury.

Goodspeed actually began his NFL career in 2000, spending 10 weeks on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad. He was in training camps in New Orleans, San Diego and St. Louis, and made the Chargers' roster in 2002 and the Rams' roster in 2003-2004. A smart, unselfish player, Goodspeed is regarded as a very good lead and isolation blocker and a guy who can play on any of the special teams units.

He has appeared in 36 games and started in 11 of them. Goodspeed has three carries for six yards and one touchdown and 11 receptions for 71 yards. His resume also includes 23 special teams tackles.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

Tarlam!
05-20-2006, 02:15 AM
I know he's a queen, but I never like reading about ACLs. That's shitty for the guy. Misses 2 seasons in a row. Might mean "Game Over". Tough break.