Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard has pleaded not guilty for charges related to the run-in with a police officer contributed to his drop to the seventh round on draft day.
Dennard entered a written plea of not guilty to charges of resisting arrest and third-degree assault of a police officer and waived a formal arraignment hearing that was set for Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dennard was arrested on April 21st after allegedly punching a police officer in the face as the officer tried to break up a fight Dennard was having with another man. His next court date hasn’t been set yet, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
The Patriots wound up drafting Dennard in the seventh-round, several rounds later than he was predicted to come off the board after a strong career at Nebraska. He signed with the Patriots earlier this month and is now working to earn a role in their secondary.
His arrest won’t hurt his attempts to do that nearly as much as it hurt his draft stock, unless, of course, it winds up costing him time with the team.