SEATTLE (Feb. 13, 2006) -- A judge granted a six-week continuance to Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Sean Locklear, charged in an assault on his girlfriend.
Seattle Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya set March 27 as Locklear's next court date. He was charged with assault after witnesses said Locklear grabbed the woman around her neck outside a Seattle bar.
Locklear pleaded innocent Jan. 17. The charge, a gross misdemeanor, carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
At his first court appearance, Locklear was also ordered to have no contact with the girlfriend, who lived with him. He also must abstain from alcohol and other drugs while the case is pending.
Locklear was arrested Jan. 15, hours after the team's 20-10 playoff win over the Washington Redskins.
Police said three witnesses told officers he grabbed the woman on the sidewalk as they argued after he reportedly got upset with her for dancing with another man at a nearby nightspot.
Officers wrote that they saw red marks on her neck and chest, but she began weeping and refused to provide more information, insisting, "He didn't do anything." She also declined medical attention and would not let officers photograph the marks on her body or provide a written statement, according to a police report.
Police said Locklear confirmed he and the woman had been arguing but said he grabbed her by the front of her shirt, not her neck.
Locklear made a public apology and played that same week against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC title game that Seattle won 34-14. He also played in the Seahawks' Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh.
