The Patriots didn’t wait long after tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested to cut him from their roster, but it doesn’t look like cornerback Alfonzo Dennard will face the same fate.
According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots do not plan to release Dennard as a result of his July 11 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. That charge is obviously less severe than the murder charge that Hernandez is facing, but it comes with a history of previous run-ins with the law for the second-year cornerback.
Dennard was arrested just before the 2012 draft for assaulting a police officer, a charge that contributed to his drop to the seventh round. Dennard was sentenced to 30 days in prison, which he’s set to serve next March, but he’s facing a hearing into whether he violated the probation that was also part of his sentence for that crime. That hearing will be held on July 31, which falls during training camp and could complicate Dennard’s availability.
Whether or not that happens, Dennard could face discipline from the NFL. Volin reports the Patriots are prepared for that eventuality and the outcome of legal proceedings could presumably change the Patriots’ stance on keeping Dennard.