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Bengals' Nicholson arrested again
Fri, May 18, 2007
By Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Linebacker A.J. Nicholson was arrested on a domestic violence charge Friday, the first arrest of a Cincinnati Bengals player since commissioner Roger Goodell cracked down on misconduct last month.

Nicholson already was one of nine Bengals players arrested during a nine-month span, turning the team into a prime example of player misconduct.

Police in nearby Taylor Mill, Ky., arrested Nicholson after a woman called 911 on Friday afternoon to say she had been assaulted by the second-year player. He was charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor.

Goodell introduced a new conduct policy last month that stiffens penalties and holds franchises responsible when their players get into trouble.

Two Bengals, receiver Chris Henry and middle linebacker Odell Thurman, currently are suspended by the league for misconduct.

Nicholson, a fifth-round draft pick from Florida State in 2006, appeared in only two games last season, when he had a hamstring injury.

Last March, Nicholson pleaded no contest to burglary and grand theft in Tallahassee, Fla., and was sentenced to two months in a work program. He had been charged with stealing electronic equipment and other items from the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.