Bengals LB Maualuga charged with assault in Ohio

Bengals LB Rey Maualuga, 25, was charged with assault for allegedly punching a bar employee in Cincinnati.

David Kohl/AP

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga has been charged with assault stemming from a downtown Cincinnati bar incident.

Police cited the 25-year-old Maualuga with the misdemeanor count on Friday after investigating allegations by a bar employee that Maualuga punched him in the face early Sunday morning. Maualuga's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 17. No attorney was listed for him.

Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said the club doesn't comment on unresolved legal matters.

The former Southern Cal star was fined by the NFL two game checks and part of his signing bonus in 2010 after he pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges in northern Kentucky. In that case, he got a suspended seven-day jail sentence, had his driver's license suspended for 90 days, and was sent to an alcohol/drug program.

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