From the Cincinnati Inquirer
BURLINGTON – Bengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks has been accused of punching a Florence woman in the left eye.
Brooks, who lives in Union, has been summoned to appear June 6 in Boone District Court to answer to the charge of misdemeanor assault, punishable by up to a year in the jail.
Destiny Rosich gave a sworn statement Wednesday 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 his head open,” Rosich wrote in her statement. That's when she “nicely approached” Brooks and asked him to stop and “take it somewhere else,” according to the statement.
“He then pulled back his fist and struck (punched) me in the left eye,” Rosich wrote. “I then fell and blacked out.”
When Rosich gained consciousness, she grabbed her children, ran inside her home, called 911 and was taken to an area emergency room.
Rosich’s attorney, Gary Franke of Cincinnati, said he had no comment at this time.
Florence police spokesman John McDermond confirmed that officers responded to the scene after the fight. He said the incident is considered a fourth-degree assault and that officers have to witness it to make an arrest.
McDermond said officers’ involvement was limited to explaining to Rosich how to fill out a criminal summons.
“Our policy is that it’s not appropriate to comment on legal proceedings in which there is no ruling,” Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said.
Brooks, a 6-foot-3, 259-pound middle linebacker, is approaching his third NFL season.
The 24-year-old came to Cincinnati by way of the University of Virginia. Amid allegations of marijuana use, he was kicked off the football team and forced to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, according to Enquirer archives.
The Bengals took him in the third-round of that draft in July of 2006.
He had 46 tackles with one sack, two passes defensed, and a special teams tackle during the 2006 season.
Brooks’ second NFL season was cut short after he suffered a groin injury Sept. 16 at Cleveland. He was inactive for Games 3 through 8, and was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list Nov. 7.
BURLINGTON – Bengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks has been accused of punching a Florence woman in the left eye.
Brooks, who lives in Union, has been summoned to appear June 6 in Boone District Court to answer to the charge of misdemeanor assault, punishable by up to a year in the jail.
Destiny Rosich gave a sworn statement Wednesday 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.
“He then pulled back his fist and struck (punched) me in the left eye,” Rosich wrote. “I then fell and blacked out.”
When Rosich gained consciousness, she grabbed her children, ran inside her home, called 911 and was taken to an area emergency room.
Rosich’s attorney, Gary Franke of Cincinnati, said he had no comment at this time.
Florence police spokesman John McDermond confirmed that officers responded to the scene after the fight. He said the incident is considered a fourth-degree assault and that officers have to witness it to make an arrest.
McDermond said officers’ involvement was limited to explaining to Rosich how to fill out a criminal summons.
“Our policy is that it’s not appropriate to comment on legal proceedings in which there is no ruling,” Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said.
Brooks, a 6-foot-3, 259-pound middle linebacker, is approaching his third NFL season.
The 24-year-old came to Cincinnati by way of the University of Virginia. Amid allegations of marijuana use, he was kicked off the football team and forced to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, according to Enquirer archives.
The Bengals took him in the third-round of that draft in July of 2006.
He had 46 tackles with one sack, two passes defensed, and a special teams tackle during the 2006 season.
Brooks’ second NFL season was cut short after he suffered a groin injury Sept. 16 at Cleveland. He was inactive for Games 3 through 8, and was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list Nov. 7.