Shortly after undrafted rookie linebacker Brandon Joiner signed with the Bengals in May, he was sentenced to three years in prison as a result of his involvement in a 2007 robbery when he was enrolled at Texas A&M.
At the time, Joiner’s attorney said that he thought his client would be out on parole in six to nine months if he behaved himself. That’s turned out to be the case as Joiner was paroled this week, leaving him free to resume his football career.
“I spent all that time in there just thinking, away from family, just the little time you get. Right now, being outside, it’s amazing. It’s not even cold to me really,” Joiner said, via the Killeen Daily Herald.
The Bengals said in May that they would be retaining his rights so it would stand to reason that he’ll be on their 90-man roster and take part in the team’s offseason program. Joiner was the 2011 Sun Belt defensive player of the year at Arkansas State, where he went after leaving Texas A&M in the wake of his arrest, and the Bengals obviously feel strong enough about his talent to stick with him through eight months in jail.