Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was released from jail on Friday, 35 days after he began his sentence.
Dennard was sentenced to 60 days after he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence, which constituted a violation of his probation for punching a police officer. He was credited for good behavior while in jail, which is why he was released early.
The judge in both cases allowed Dennard to wait until after the football season to serve his sentence, so Dennard did not miss any games and is now free to join the Patriots’ offseason workouts when they begin on April 21.
Dennard will likely compete with Brandon Browner to be the Patriots’ No. 2 cornerback, across the field from Darrelle Revis. However, New England may not have either of them at the start of the season: Browner has already been suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season, and it’s possible that the NFL could suspend Dennard as well.