In January, Buccaneers safety Jermaine Phillips was charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation.
He became an unrestricted free agent on Friday. JoeBucsFan.com reports that about the same time, the charges were reduced to simple battery, an apparent misdemeanor.
For those of you who didn’t know and/or didn’t care, the term “misdemeanor” generally applies to a charge with a maximum sentence of one year in jail. A felony typically has a minimum sentence of one year, although many felonies are settled with a shorter prison term.
Phillips, a fifth-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2002, has not yet been linked to any other team in free agency.
A broken thumb limited Phillips to only two games in 2009.