updated 4:08 p.m. ET Jan. 17, 2006

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. - The wife of Indianapolis Colts cornerback Nick Harper was released from jail on $5,000 bond Tuesday, facing charges of stabbing him with a filet knife during an argument at their home.

Daniell Harper, 31, spent the weekend in the Hamilton County Jail after her arrest Saturday on preliminary charges of battery with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness. She was arraigned on closed-circuit television from jail Tuesday, and Magistrate Karl Hadley entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf.

Pretrial hearings were set for March 21 and May 15, and her trial was set for June 6.

Nick Harper was treated at an Indianapolis hospital Saturday after deputies and paramedics found him with a puncture wound to his right knee, police said. His wife told authorities the stabbing was accidental, sheriff’s department Sgt. Kevin W. Fessel said.

Harper played in Sunday’s 21-18 playoff loss to Pittsburgh, and nearly won the game for his team with a late return of a fumble recovery. After picking up Jerome Bettis’ fumble at the Colts’ 2-yard-line with 1:20 left, Harper appeared headed toward a touchdown before Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reached out and made a saving tackle at the Indy 42.

Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter said he didn’t think the dispute “began as a violent confrontation between the two. I think this began as a conversation between the two that escalated.”

Steelers 21, Colts 18      Steelers hold on to shock Colts Cook: Manning can’t win when it matters Another poor playoff effort dooms Colts Cowher, Steelers loosen up vs. Colts Dungy ponders retirement Commentary: Dungy remains stoic Vote: Should pick have been overturned? Expert: Super pressure on Cowher Colts CB’s wife says she accidentally cut him Mailbag: Sound off on 2nd-round games Playoff matchups, schedules, predictions

Police said Daniell Harper told them she was upset because her husband would not speak to her. She got a knife from a kitchen drawer and began waving it over him as he lay in bed at their suburban Indianapolis home. Carter said she also had a folding knife.

Colts president Bill Polian said Harper’s wound was an inch deep and a half-inch wide. It required three stitches, but Polian said there was no damage to the knee joint or capsule.

Harper, who signed with the Colts as a free agent in 2001, was arrested in June on a domestic battery charge after police said he hit his wife. The case was still pending.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos

The couple’s three children were home during the argument but were unharmed, police said. They were placed with other family members.

No phone listing was available for Nick or Daniell Harper in the Indianapolis area. The Associated Press left a voice mail message Tuesday with James Voyles, who represented Nick Harper in the domestic battery case.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Contenders, pretenders separated Sunday   Vote: Who's least likely to win their division? Colts (8-0) catch break vs. Texans, stay perfect Saints finish with flourish, improve to 8-0 ‘Motivated’ Cowboys scoot past Eagles, into 1st Celizic: NFC East not living up to its reputation   Video: Cowboys-Eagles highlights Chargers rally, hand Giants 4th straight loss   Video: Bengals, Chargers on the rise ‘Much more mature’ Bengals make statement NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: