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HOT TOPIC
It's appropriate that the Bengals wear stripes on their football uniforms.
Some of them might be sporting the same look elsewhere.
Another Bengals player -- the third of the spring and early summer -- finds himself in legal trouble and faces possible jail time.
Third-round pick Frostee Rucker has been charged with two counts of vandalism and two counts of spousal battery, stemming from an August 2005 incident with a now ex-girlfriend. The Los Angeles City attorney's office filed the charges Tuesday.
According to police reports, Rucker arrived at a party, and an argument ensued between him and the woman. Then Rucker threw a cell phone and a Blackberry belonging to her, damaging both and leading to the pair of vandalism charges. The woman suffered two minor injuries, according to the police. Rucker is alleged to have used physical force against the woman, court papers said.
The alleged victim delayed in coming forward to make a report.
Rucker, 22, is a 6-foot-3, 267-pound defensive end. He started all 13 games last season for Southern California and had 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He is expected to add a speed rusher to the Bengals' defense.
In Los Angeles, spousal battery includes people who have dated or lived together. Each count is punishable by a maximum of one year in the county jail or community service. Rucker also faces a mandatory $400 fine. Each count of vandalism carries a maximum six-month sentence, if convicted.
An arraignment hearing will be July 13.
The Bengals declined specific comment Wednesday but repeated a now-familiar company line.
"The Bengals' policy is it's not appropriate for us to comment on a player's legal situation prior to a resolution of the matter in the court system," said P.J. Combs, assistant public relations director.
David Dunn, Rucker's agent, did not respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment on his client's legal issues. Rucker transferred to Southern Cal. He originally played at Colorado State but left school as part of a plea agreement. He had been charged with sexual assault of a female student but pled guilty to a reduced charge of harassment and received a deferred sentence, according to Colorado State University police records.
Two other Bengals players have had legal problems this spring.
In May, rookie linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged May 27 in Tallahassee, Fla., with burglary, grand theft and vandalism. The charges stem from an alleged incident earlier in May when prosecutors say Nicholson stole $1,700 in electronics equipment from the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.
On Tuesday, June 20, second-year Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry learned from a Clermont County judge that he had to blow into a Breathalyzer before he could start his car. The ruling stemmed from Henry's arrest June 3 for DUI in the Cincinnati suburb of Union Township. Henry pleaded not guilty June 15 to charges that he provided alcohol to three underage women in a Covington, Ky., hotel. A pretrial hearing is set for June 29. Henry also faces a single charge of carrying a concealed firearm after his arrest Jan. 28 in Orlando, Fla. Henry pleaded guilty to a marijuana possession charge after his December arrest in Covington.
Henry, Nicholson and Rucker all were drafted under the watch of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.
PLAYER NOTES
--The Bengals will train at Georgetown College near Lexington, Ky., through at least 2007. Coach Marvin Lewis, speaking Monday, June 19, at the Georgetown/Scott County Chamber of Commerce, announced the agreement.
"This year will be my fourth in Georgetown, and I look forward to both this year and the next," he said. "I have found the entire experience at Georgetown to be excellent in getting our season off to a productive start."
The Bengals moved their training camp to Georgetown beginning in 1997. They had trained at Wilmington College for the first 29 years of their existence. The Bengals will train for two weeks this summer at Georgetown. Camp will open with a night practice July 29. As the Bengals have improved on the field during the regular, so has their training camp attendance.
During the past few years, several NFL teams have begun to hold training camp at their home stadium, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. The Bengals have three practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium, and now can use the game field inside the stadium for practice because it is artificial turf. There is an increased sense that the Bengals might join the growing number of teams in the near future and move camp to their home base.
Yet Lewis and team president Mike Brown both are said to enjoy the experience of getting away and think it is good for players to focus on football.
--Madieu Williams chose to have surgery midway through the 2005 season instead of playing hurt every other week. Now the third-year Bengals free safety he's determined to make up for lost time.
"He's been a man on a mission, and it's been great to see," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of Williams. "His breaks, his angles, all those things have been perfect. He's added some more body mass and hasn't seemed to slow a bit."
Williams is up from about 195 to 205 pounds. The goal is more strength against the run.
But more has changed beside his body.
"He's more vocal," Lewis said. "He understands the ins and outs of things they install. He has become a leader. He's kind of leading the way."
A healthy Williams and the addition of free agent Dexter Jackson lift the safety position.
"Dexter is going to bring a lot of fight to guys," Lewis said. "He's very intense. He has been everything we hoped and more. He's got something to prove."
--Robert Geathers is trying to recapture the quickness and speed that made him a big-play defensive end as a rookie in 2004. He has dropped from 287 to 265 pounds. He already has noticed an improvement in his endurance.
"It kind of snuck up on me. It kind of hung there," he said of the extra weight. "I feel a whole lot quicker."
"Quarterback Carson Palmer, despite working hard to rehab his injured left, is growing into a role as a leader in the locker room. On the second day of minicamp, as he walked toward the training room, Palmer slapped hands with Chatman and faked a slap with wide receiver Chad Johnson.
"That was funny," Johnson said.
"To me it was," Palmer said.
Then Palmer met troubled wide receiver Chris Henry at the door of the training room. They shook hands and talked quietly for several minutes. Henry has been arrested four times in the past seven months for a variety of alleged offenses. He still has not been cleared medically from a sprained knee.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Bengals traded quarterback Dave Ragone to the St. Louis Rams on June 20 for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2007 draft. Ragone, The Bengals acquired Ragone off waivers from Houston on May 24. He is a fourth-year player from the University of Louisville. The Bengals have four quarterbacks on their roster: Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson and rookie Erik Meyer.
Quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese is a big fan of Meyer, the rookie free agent signed after the draft and paid a $5,000 signing bonus.
MEDICAL WATCH: Starting center Rich Braham and starting right tackle Willie Anderson, both double-digit season veterans, were held out of the Saturday morning practice June 17, the last of five in the mandatory full-squad minicamp.
Running back Chris Perry (ankle and knee) and offensive tackle Adam Kieft (knee) are the only two players, coach Marvin Lewis said, who could be limited at the start of training camp.
Backup tailback Kenny Watson, coming back from a torn biceps muscle, dislocated the ring finger on his right hand but will be ready for the start of camp.
Rookie wide receiver Bennie Brazell missed work Saturday because he is on antibiotics to treat an infection.
Wide receiver Chad Johnson returned to practice Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after he went down with a groin tweak in the afternoon practice Friday.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--S Ifeanyi Ohalete (not tendered June 1).
--DL Carl Powell (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--CB Rashad Bauman: UFA; terms unknown.
--FB Jeremi Johnson: RFA; $7.528M/5 yrs, SB unknown.
--OL Scott Kooistra: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--P Kyle Larson: Potential ERFA; $385,000/1 yr.
--S Anthony Mitchell: UFA; terms unknown.
--LB Hannibal Navies: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--TE Tony Stewart: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--WR Kelley Washington: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--RB Kenny Watson: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--LB Marcus Wilkins: UFA; $585,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--DT Sam Adams: FA Bills; $7.5M/3 yrs, $2.75M SB; 2006 cap: $2.217M.
--WR/KR Antonio Chatman: Not tendered as RFA by Packers; $1.5M/2 yrs, SB unknown.
--S Dexter Jackson: UFA Buccaneers; $7.6M/4 yrs, SB unknown.
--QB Doug Johnson: FA; terms unknown.
--QB Anthony Wright: UFA Ravens; 1 yr, terms unknown.
PLAYERS LOST
--DE Duane Clemons (released).
--S Kim Herring (released).
--QB Jon Kitna: UFA Lions; $11.5M/4 yrs, $3.5M SB.
--QB Craig Krenzel (released).
--FB Nick Luchey: Not tendered as UFA/Texans; terms unknown.
--TE Matt Schobel: UFA Eagles; 5 yrs, $1.8M SB.
--WR Kevin Walter: RFA Texans; did not match offer of $6.4M/4 yrs, Bengals receive 7th-round pick in 2006 draft as compensation.
--LB Nate Webster: UFA Broncos; $1.505M/2 yrs, $200,000 SB.
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