Ravens cut Pierce after DUI
Baltimore cut ties with former Temple star Bernard Pierce after he was arrested early yesterday morning.
THE BALTIMORE Ravens released running back Bernard Pierce yesterday, hours after he was charged with drunken driving.
Baltimore County police said an officer stopped a Ford Mustang that was speeding around 2 a.m. yesterday morning in Towson, Md., north of Baltimore.
Police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said Pierce had been driving 55 mph in a 30 mph zone, and that Pierce failed a series of field-sobriety tests after he was stopped. Pierce was taken to a station house in Towson for processing, and later released.
Pierce, who was drafted in the third round out of Temple in 2012, is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol and two additional speeding offenses.
Yesterday afternoon, the Ravens announced that Pierce, 24, had been cut in a press release consisting of one sentence.
The move was in line with the team's assertion last month that off-field misbehavior would not be tolerated.
Five Ravens players were arrested last year, most notably running back Ray Rice for domestic violence, an offense that led to his suspension by the NFL and his release from the team.
Noteworthy
* Former Eagles cornerback Bradley Fletcher has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Patriots that could be worth up to $2.5 million, his agent told ESPN.com
The 28-year old Fletcher, who played the past two seasons with the Eagles, will fill a void for the Patriots, who lost Darrelle Revis (Jets) and Brandon Browner (Saints) to free agency.
* The Dallas Cowboys and defensive end Greg Hardy have agreed to a 1-year deal that could be worth as much as $13.1 million with incentives, according to a source.
Hardy, 26, could still face a league suspension for violating the NFL's domestic conduct policy. He remains on the commissioner's exempt list as he seeks reinstatement by the NFL, which filed another lawsuit seeking the release of records from the trial that led to Hardy's conviction by a judge in North Carolina on domestic violence charges. The case was dismissed after Hardy requested a jury trial and his accuser couldn't be located to testify.
* The Baltimore Ravens re-signed 32-year-old Chris Canty to a 2-year deal just 19 days after releasing the veteran defensive end in a salary-cap-related move, the team announced.
* The New York Giants signed former Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis in a move to strengthen their weak run defense, which was 30th in the league last season. Terms were not released.
* Free-agent running back Reggie Bush, 30, signed a 1-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
* The Atlanta Falcons re-signed defensive end Kroy Biermann, who led the team with 4 1/2 sacks last season.
* The Detroit Lions re-signed cornerback Rashean Mathis to a 2-year deal, a source told ESPN.com.
* The Jacksonville Jaguars have given team president Mark Lamping a 5-year contract extension. He joined the franchise in 2013.