updated 1:18 p.m. ET Aug. 8, 2006

NEWPORT, Ky. - Bengals guard Eric Steinbach pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of boating under the influence on the Ohio River, the fifth Cincinnati player in three months accused of breaking the law.

A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources officer stopped Steinbach within sight of Paul Brown Stadium, on the Cincinnati side of the river, because he was violating an idle-only zone Saturday night, agency spokesman Mark Marraccini said.

He failed a series of field sobriety tests, Marraccini said.

Steinbach was released from the Campbell County jail in Newport after posting a $500 bond. He entered a not guilty plea Tuesday in Campbell District Court, where Judge Karen Thomas scheduled a pretrial hearing for Sept. 7 and a jury trial on Oct. 11.

The Bengals had the day off Sunday, their first free time since they opened training camp in Georgetown, Ky., on July 29. Steinbach practiced with the team Monday and declined comment about the case.

Steinbach was a first alternate for the Pro Bowl last season, when he started all 16 regular-season games and a playoff loss to Pittsburgh. He was part of a line that allowed only 21 sacks, a club record.

The Bengals have been on the defensive over the recent player arrests and a suspension. Receiver Chris Henry leads the list, with four arrests since December. He is to go on trial later this month in Orlando, Fla., on a gun charge.

NFL 2007 Team-by-team reports, predictions

Cincinnati drafted defensive end Frostee Rucker and linebacker A.J. Nicholson in April despite their problems in college. Both were arrested before they began negotiating contracts — Rucker for spousal battery, Nicholson for burglary and grand theft.

Cincinnati police used a stun gun on third-year defensive tackle Matthias Askew last month and charged him with resisting arrest.

Middle linebacker Odell Thurman is suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

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