Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Price of gas up nearly 12 cents in last 3 weeks

Manning suspended, and Urlacher irate

'It stinks,' Bears' MLB says after DB punished for restaurant fight

BEARS MANNING AP
Ricky Manning, the Bears’ leader with four interceptions, pleaded no contest in September to a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation with a man in a Los Angeles restaurant.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. was suspended one game by the NFL on Wednesday for his role in a restaurant altercation and will not play this week at New England.

Manning, the Bears’ leader with four interceptions, pleaded no contest in September to a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation with a man in a Los Angeles restaurant. Manning acknowledged he argued with a man at a Denny’s near UCLA, where he attended college, in the early hours of April 23. He denied accusations that he and former Bruins Tyler Ebell and Maurice Drew punched and kicked the man in the face until he lost consciousness.

Manning, who initially pleaded not guilty, faced up to four years in prison with a conviction. By pleading no contest, he got three years probation and was ordered to attend a year of anger management counseling. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Jim Ivler, Manning’s agent, said his client was only “tangentially involved” in the incident, and league officials who reviewed video “were taken aback by the lack of involvement by Ricky.”

“It’s a somewhat bitter pill to swallow,” Ivler said.

Ivler said he and Manning considered appealing, but decided to sit out this week rather than risk missing a game against an NFC opponent that would have heavier playoff-seeding implications. Ivler said that was the Bears’ preference, but coach Lovie Smith said the decision was Manning’s.

Slideshow
Image: Snee, 8, son of New York Giants player Chris Snee and head coach Coughlin's grandson plays in the confetti after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis
  The Week in Sports Pictures
The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more.

more photos

“We knew it was coming,” Smith said. “We didn’t know exactly what it would be. Now we know and can move on from there.”

The incident occurred less than two days after Manning signed a five-year, $21 million offer sheet with Chicago, one the Carolina Panthers declined to match.

“It stinks,” Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “I don’t know why they did it this week. That’s the NFL for you.”

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement
More news
Image: Gerald Sensabaugh, Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, DeSean Jackson
AP
Offseason needs for NFC teams

Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.

Image: Wild Card Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Denver Broncos
Getty Images
Wesseling: Offseason priorities for AFC teams

Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.