Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter pleaded no contest and paid a $1,000 fine for punching Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones after a disagreement at a casino blackjack table. Porter did not appear in Las Vegas Justice Court while his lawyer, Karen Winckler, entered the plea to a misdemeanor battery charge and paid the fine, said a court aide to Justice of the Peace Pro Tem James Gubler. Gubler accepted the plea. Winckler did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, whose team has had several run-ins with the law, apologized Thursday for comments about police possibly targeting his players. "Yesterday, I gave a radio interview and made some comments that did not illustrate the high regard I have for the Cincinnati Police Department. I apologize that what I said did not reflect my true feelings," Lewis said. Lewis' statement came a day after a radio interview that drew a response from Police Chief Tom Streicher. Talking on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show about Bengals off-field problems, Lewis noted that Chris Henry was pulled over in March after not signaling a turn while driving in Cincinnati.

After being falsely accused of failing a drug test that could have ended his NFL career, Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was cleared Wednesday by the state of Kentucky. On Monday, the Kenton County Attorney's Office almost immediately backed off public statements that Henry had failed a drug test that would have violated his probation and sent him to jail for 88 days. But on Wednesday the state of Kentucky released the following statement: ?This information did not come from the state Division of Probation & Parole. Repeated referrals to our office by the Kenton County Attorney?s office were wrong. The Kenton County Attorney?s Office has no jurisdiction in our probation supervision of Henry. Our office did, however, receive results of a drug test conducted on Henry today, and those results were negative.?

The Bengals apparently have had their fill with A.J. Nicholson. Just hours after Nicholson pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic violence, the Bengals released the talented but troubled linebacker on Monday. Nicholson, 23, was arrested Friday after allegedly striking a woman in the face at his apartment. According to the Bengals' official web site, the woman recanted her statement Monday, but the Kenton District Court chose not to drop the case.

Chris Henry has failed a court-ordered drug test, Kenton County prosecutors said Monday. Henry has already been suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first eight games of the regular season. That suspension was the result of several off-field incidents, which included being arrested four times between December 2005 and June 2006. The drug test was part of Henry?s probation with the state of Florida, where Henry was convicted of a weapons charge in 2006.

According to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Bengals' A.J. Nicholson was arrested on a domestic violence assault charge at 3:10 p.m. on Friday. Nicholson, a fifth-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2006 draft, was taken into custody after a woman at his apartment alleged that he punched her in the eye. The unidentified person made a call to 911 but when police arrived, Nicholson had left.

The Bengals on Monday released defensive tackle Sam Adams. The move to release Adams came hours after the Bengals signed defensive tackle Kenderick Allen, who played in two games for Green Bay last season.

The Bengals wrapped up another deal with a defensive tackle Thursday night when agent Harold Lewis said Kenderick Allen has agreed to a one-year contract with the club. The Bengals don?t confirm deals until the contract is signed. The 6-5 Allen, joining his fourth team in five years, is an agile 330-pounder when healthy who is coming off a foot injury that limited him to two games last season in Green Bay.

Bengals defensive end Justin Smith on Tuesday signed his one-year tender as the team's franchise player. Smith will automatically receive $8.64 million in 2007. "I'm fired up and ready," Smith said. "I'm glad we got this done. It's time to get back with my teammates, get in some good offseason work, and make this a great season for the Bengals."