Carolina Panthers tackle Jeremy Bridges was arrested Thursday and charged with misdemeanor assault after he was accused of pointing a gun at a female employee of a strip club.
By MIKE CRANSTON
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Carolina Panthers tackle Jeremy Bridges was arrested Thursday and charged with misdemeanor assault after he was accused of pointing a gun at a female employee of a strip club.
Capt. Lisa Goelz of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department said the incident occurred Wednesday night at Club Onyx in Charlotte, but the woman didn’t file a complaint with police until Thursday.
Bridges was arrested Thursday afternoon and released on $3,000 bond.
Team spokesman Charlie Dayton said the team was gathering information on the incident.
“Those who know this organization knows we take these situations seriously,” Dayton said.
Dayton said he was unsure if Bridges would report to training camp on Friday. Players are due in Spartanburg, S.C., by noon for a series of meetings. The first practice is Saturday morning.
Bridges could also face disciplinary action from the NFL under the league’s new, tougher conduct policy.
Bridges is the second Panther to be arrested in the offseason. D’Anthony Batiste was acquitted of carrying a concealed weapon after a Mecklenburg County judge ruled his arrest for a window tint violation was a pretext to search Batiste’s car.
The 6-foot-4, 326-pound Bridges was signed last September after starting left tackle Travelle Wharton suffered a season-ending knee injury. He eventually moved into the starting lineup at right tackle when Jordan Gross moved to the left side to replace Wharton.
Bridges, who played at Southern Mississippi, spent two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and started 11 games before he was cut in training camp in 2006. The Panthers were impressed with how he filled in last season, and he was a candidate to remain a starter this season.