Veteran linebacker Brandon Spikes is facing charges following the traffic incident that resulted in his release from the Patriots. Massachusetts State Police announced today that it has issued a citation charging Spikes with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, among other charges.
A car registered to Spikes was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., early last Sunday morning. An OnStar representative told Massachusetts State Police that the driver reported hitting a deer, but no deer was found in the vicinity and the car had front-end damage.
A short time later, police responded to a hit-and-run report nearby. The occupants of the SUV, who said they were rear-ended by a car they didn’t see, were treated for minor injuries at an area hospital and were later released. Police determined that Spikes was speeding and driving negligently when he crashed his Maybach sedan into the SUV.
While leaving the scene of a personal injury crash calls for up to two years in jail, it’s unlikely Spikes will face severe penalties, given the minor nature of the injuries. Still, the case figures to negatively impact his chances of playing for an NFL team this season, since he could face discipline from the league as well. The Pats didn’t even wait for the charges against Spikes to be confirmed before announcing earlier this week that they were cutting the inside linebacker.