FanHouse JasonShirley

The Bengals Jason Shirley isn't a famous football player (he doesn't get to play), but his trial for DUI is quite interesting.

To recap: last October while he was at Fresno State, Shirley was arrested for driving his car into an apartment building and then driving off. Turns out that he shockingly failed a breathalyzer test.

Despite the Bengals' claim to stay away from problem players, they decided to draft him several months later.

In Shirley's first trial, Fresno State coach Pat Hill took the stand and testified that Shirley suffered a concussion during a game against Nevada. The defense was that the concussion caused Shirley to make these bad decisions. That ended in a mistrial.

Bengals rookie Jason Shirley will likely miss the Bengals' minicamp in order to tend to some legal issues. Shirley has been on trial for a drunk driving incident which saw him plow his car into an apartment complex.

Well, a mistrial was declared after the jury couldn't reach a verdict ... meaning the case will be re-tried at the end of the month. Jury motions begin next week (and so does the Bengals' minicamp).

Shirley faces three misdemeanor counts: DUI, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher and hit and run. He also has a hearing on a fourth charge of driving on a suspended license.

This is a shame because the Bengals really need their new guys in this camp (especially the defensive ones). Also, the purge of the bad apples in the offseason was supposed to signify a new way in Cincinnati. Of course, Shirley was still in college when this happened so the team must be understanding with this situation since they knew of it when they drafted him.

Dr. William Carveth, an official team doctor the past three seasons, testified that the concussion Shirley sustained days before he drove a car into a townhome complex in the late night hours of Oct. 8 could have compounded the effects of the alcohol he drank that night and affected his decision making, emotional stability and ability to follow directions.

Carveth met with Shirley on the afternoon of Oct. 8, two days after Shirley sustained a concussion in the Bulldogs' game against Nevada. At that time, Carveth reported Shirley had "a mild, if any, concussion."

Current Bengals Who Have Been in Trouble at Some Point

• Ahmad Brooks: Accused of punching a woman in the face
• Chad Johnson: Sued for his part of an alleged "bogus raffle"
• Dhani Jones: Arrested for "failure to obey a lawful command". He refused police orders to stop dancing in the street outside a South Beach nightclub.
• Jonathan Joseph: Marijuana possession
• Deltha O'Neal: DUI
• Frostee Rucker: Vandalism and spousal battery while in college
• Jason Shirley: Drove drunk and crashed his car into an apartment building while in college

• Chris Henry: Speeding, marijuana possession, driving without a license, waving a gun at people, providing alcohol to minors, misdemeanor assault and property damage. He once was suspended for eight games for violating the NFL's conduct policy.
• Matthias Askew: Arrested (and acquitted) for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, failure to comply with a police officer's order, obstructing justice
• Reggie McNeal: Drug possession, resisting arrest
• AJ Nicholson: Burglary, grand theft, vandalism, domestic assault
• Eric Steinbach: Boating under the influence of alcohol
• Quincy Wilson: Arrested at a wedding for disorderly conduct
• Odell Thurman: Is coming off a two-year suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy. He was picked up for a DUI in Ohio. He was also accused of assault in Georgia but the complaint was dropped.

This isn't a post as much as it is a running page to document some of the difficulties this Bengals organization has had.