Seattle Seahawks fullback Owen Schmitt was arraigned in Black Diamond on July 2 for a charge of suspicion of DUI in June and pleaded not guilty.

Schmitt is scheduled to appear in a pre-trial hearing on July 22.

Jordan Babineaux violated the league's substance abuse policy and has been suspended for the season opener against Buffalo.

Rocky Bernard violated its personal conduct policy and has been suspended for the Buffalo game as well.

I spoke with the Seattle court system, and since Bernard was arrested and booked early this morning (today), he will not be arraigned until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, which means he has to stay in jail today and overnight.

Here is what the police report said, verbatim:

"Ofc. Briskey and I responded to a DV assault call, where the victim was waiting in a vehicle at (redacted). When we arrived, we contacted (redacted). They stated they were at (redacted) night club located at (redacted) and had left about 10 minutes prior to our arrival. They stated the victim's ex-boyfriend/father of her baby was at the club.

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According to several reports, Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard has been arrested and charged with domestic violence assault. His bail was denied, according to the King County Jail Inmate Lookup Service. The Seahawks said they are aware of the situation and are monitoring it but have no comment.

I am working with our city side reporter to try to get a police report and will provide more information when we get that.

There was a story on the Web today about a Seahawks fan who was working in a fast-food restaurant, and he ended up spitting on the hamburger of a guy wearing some Steelers gear after they traded words about the Super Bowl. Here is the link. Ummm, yuck.

Under Tim Ruskell's mandate of acquiring guys with character, this is very unlikely to happen. But it seems pretty clear that the Giants don't need Shockey, who broke his leg and ankle a few weeks before the end of the regular season then watched his team roll its way to the Super Bowl. His replacement, Kevin Boss, did a nice job filling in for Shockey, and had a big play in the Super Bowl that helped the Giants win. I'm sure Shockey's teammates weren't too pleased to see video of him drinking beers in a luxury suite instead of on the sidelines with them, and the dynamic between Shockey and Eli Manning reportedly is unstable at best. The Seahawks need a tight end, and they likely could get Shockey for a reasonable draft pick. Again, unlikely to happen but something to think about.

Ex-Hawk Jerramy Stevens has spoken to reporters for the first time since his March arrest on DUI and marijuana charges. The St. Petersburg Times notes that the NFL has not yet decided whether Steves will face league-ordered discipline.

"It was a huge eye-opener," Stevens told reporters in Tampa, where he is practicing with the Bucs. "It had been a long time since I'd had an incident. So, it was obviously a huge slipup. But that's what it was: a slipup. I made a lifestyle change years back. So, I'm not trying to minimize the mistake, but it was a misstep. I think the Bucs realize that and they realize that I'm a quality guy and a quality player. I know that, too. I'm just trying to let everybody else know that."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has taken steps to change the NFL's image as a league that tolerates problem citizens as long as they are talented. Not everyone is convinced. Tampa Bay's recent signing of ex-Hawk Jerramy Stevens provides fuel for anyone who thinks the league talks a good game, but really doesn't care. "(Stevens) has assured us it's all in his past," Bucs GM Bruce Allen was quoted as saying. "Sometimes you have to give people a chance."

That sounded familiar, so I went back to my 2002 notes from the day Seattle drafted Stevens. He was described then as a talented player with a well-documented history of legal travails. "I know that college kids get jammed up every once in a while, and do things they regret," Mike Holmgren said then. "I really trust that everything is behind him. I know I’m giving him a clean slate, and I would hope that you guys could, too. Let him show us how he is going to handle this."

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Former Seahawks TE Jerramy Stevens has signed with Tampa Bay. Thanks to the reader who passed along the link while I was taking notes at the postdraft press conference here.

Former Seahawks scout Bucky Brooks, now with SI.com, takes us through what Seattle was thinking when the organization drafted WR Koren Robinson in 2001. He differentiates between "ethical character" and "football character" while noting that he voted in favor of drafting Robinson, whose off-field problems have led to suspensions.

The Arizona Republic is reporting that Jerramy Stevens faces DUI and marijuana possession charges stemming from an arrest Tuesday morning in Scottsdale. According to the story, Stevens was taken into custody at about 2:30 a.m. after admitting that he had "four or five margaritas" at the Salty Senorita bar on Scottsdale Road. They also accused him of marijuana possession. The newspaper quotes the police report thusly: "As (Stevens) exited the truck he dropped his cell phone and wallet on the ground, bent down to pick them up, then stutter-stepped as he started to walk in my direction." Stevens has had numerous previous run-ins with the law, one reason Seahawks president Tim Ruskell hasn't been eager to re-sign the former first-round pick. Stevens faces an April 2 date in court, the Republic wrote.

The timing of Marcus Pollard's signing appears unrelated to this incident. Stevens was arrested, according to the report, at 2:30 a.m. this morning. The Seahawks brought in Pollard yesterday. Pollard signed this morning, before news of Stevens' arrest began circulating. This is great work by Michael Ferraresi, the reporter in Scottsdale. He broke the story online at about 1 this afternoon. Before that, nobody unrelated to Stevens would have known.

Updating a previous item, the Cardinals have fired Richie Anderson, the assistant coach accused of pursuing the wrong kind of "street" free agents. The team is looking for a new receivers coach.