Bengals' Shirley to Miss Minicamp to Tend to Legal Matters

Bengals rookie Jason Shirley will likely miss the Bengals' minicamp in order to tend to some legal issues. Shirley has been on trial for a drunk driving incident which saw him plow his car into an apartment complex.

Well, a mistrial was declared after the jury couldn't reach a verdict ... meaning the case will be re-tried at the end of the month. Jury motions begin next week (and so does the Bengals' minicamp).

Shirley faces three misdemeanor counts: DUI, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher and hit and run. He also has a hearing on a fourth charge of driving on a suspended license.

This is a shame because the Bengals really need their new guys in this camp (especially the defensive ones). Also, the purge of the bad apples in the offseason was supposed to signify a new way in Cincinnati. Of course, Shirley was still in college when this happened so the team must be understanding with this situation since they knew of it when they drafted him.