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Kenrick Ellis Reportedly Agrees To Plea Deal; Jail Time For Jets DL?

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis reportedly has reached a plea agreement in a Virginia court that will reduce a felony charge to a misdemeanor.

Ellis will plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery, multiple reports said Thursday, citing comments from attorney S. Howard Woodson, who represents the victim, Dennis Eley.

Eley was told Ellis would receive six months of jail time with his plea, Woodson said. Under Virginia law, the lineman would have to serve only 90 days and may "receive credit for time served," according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Ellis' attorney, Tim Clancy, told the New York Post that the plea had not yet been approved by a judge. Clancy was "furious" that Woodson spoke with the press about the deal and said the details were inaccurate, the paper reported.

"It's entirely inappropriate for anybody to talk about a plea agreement until it's been approved by a court," Clancy told the paper.

Woodson said Eley likely will pursue a civil lawsuit, which he was originally filed for $3 million, then withdrawn.

The incident took place in April 2010 while Ellis was attending Hampton University. The Jets selected him in the third round of the 2011 draft.

"Maybe his risk is more than others," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said last year, according to the Star-Ledger. "But if we didn't feel like there was a path to have him be successful here, we wouldn't have taken him."

Your thoughts on Ellis' legal woes? Sound off below...

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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