Bengals' Dillon Arrested

Cincinnati Bengals running back Corey Dillon missed practice Monday following his weekend arrest in a Seattle suburb after his wife was assaulted.

Dillon, 25, also did not tell the team about his arrest Saturday. Players were off on Saturday and Sunday, and Dillon told the team he would be late returning.

"He had called and his agent had called, but the information they relayed was not consistent with what I'm hearing," general manager Mike Brown said from home Monday night. "I just heard the report (about the arrest) minutes ago. I have nothing to say concerning that until I know about it."

Police said the former University of Washington standout was arrested Saturday afternoon after officers responded to a domestic violence complaint at a Federal Way, Wash., address.

When officers arrived, they found Dillon's 23-year-old wife bleeding from the mouth in front of the house. Dillon was in the driveway, police said.

Dillon was booked into the King County jail for investigation of fourth-degree assault, but was released later Saturday.

Police said the couple was in a car when Dillon struck his wife, who was driving. She got out of the car and walked one block to the address where police were summoned. It was not immediately clear who lived at the house.

Agent Marvin Demoff didn't return a telephone message Monday night. The Bengals had been told that Dillon would be back for practice on Tuesday, but that was before they learned of the arrest.

"I was told he would be returning tomorrow," Brown said Monday night. "Whether that is the case, it is unclear to me at this moment."

Dillon was repeatedly in trouble as a juvenile, prompting him to slip to the second round in the 1997 draft. He's been arrested twice while with the Bengals.

He was arrested in March 1998 in Seattle for investigation of drunken driving. He was later charged with driving under the influence, negligent driving and driving with a suspended license. In June 1998, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of negligent driving and driving with a suspended license.

Earlier this month, Dillon ended a holdout and agreed to a one-year contract reportedly worth $3 million. As a restricted free agent, Dillon had threatened to miss the season's first 10 games and play only in the last six so that he could become an unrestricted free agent for next season.

In his second preseason game last Friday in Cincinnati, Dillon rushed six times for 45 yards in a 21-13 loss to Detroit. The Bengals have a first-week bye and open the season Sept. 10 against Cleveland.

Dillon was the leading rusher for the Bengals the last three years, going over 1,000 yards each season. He broke Jim Brown's rookie rushin record in 1997 when he picked up 246 yards in a victory over Tennessee.

He holds six school records at Washington.