David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports that Harris County prosecutors dismissed a third-degree felony charge against Patriots DE Michael Bennett on Wednesday.
Bennett was previously indicted on charges that he assaulted an elderly security guard following 2017 Super Bowl.
Vivian King, the chief of staff for District Attorney Kim Ogg, said that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charge against Bennett.
“After looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” King said in a statement. “There was probable cause to warrant a charge initially, but after a careful review of all the pre-charge and post-charge evidence, we cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Bennett allegedly pushed past an elderly, wheelchair-bound security guard in an attempt to get on the field after the Patriots beat the Falcons.
Bennett, 33, began his NFL career with the Buccaneers and spent four years in Tampa Bay before signing on with the Seahawks as a free agent back in 2013. Seattle signed him to a new four-year, $39 million contract before trading him to the Eagles last year.
From there, Bennett was traded along with a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Patriots for a 2020 fifth-round pick last month.
Bennett originally would have made base salaries of $6 million and $7 million over the next two years of the agreement before recently agreeing to a restructured deal that will pay him $16.75 million over the next two years.
In 2018, Bennett appeared in all 16 games for the Eagles and recorded 34 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass defense. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 21 edge rusher out of 103 qualifying players.
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