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[June 13, 2015]   June 12, (The Sports Xchange) - Former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes was charged Friday in connection with a hit-and-run after his car was found abandoned with front-end damage.

Massachusetts State Police issued a citation, charging Spikes with speeding, negligent driving and other motor vehicle offenses from an accident early Sunday morning. He also was cited with leaving the scene and failure to stay within marked lanes.

Spikes, 27, will be summonsed to appear in Wrentham District Court at an undetermined date.

Spikes' damaged Mercedes was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. The Patriots released him the next day.

According to authorities, Spikes was speeding and driving negligently when he crashed his 2011 Maybach sedan into the back of a sport utility vehicle on 495 northbound. The occupants of the SUV suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Responding troopers located the Maybach with significant front-end damage in the median shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Spikes played four seasons in New England before signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last year. The Patriots signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $2 million in May. The only guaranteed money was a $25,000 signing bonus.

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The Patriots added a veteran quarterback, signing Matt Flynn to an undisclosed contract.

The 29-year-old Flynn was an unrestricted free agent who played in seven games for the Green Bay Packers last season. Reports indicated Thursday that Flynn had agreed to terms with the Patriots.

Flynn joins a Patriots roster that has Tom Brady and second-year player Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, but New England is likely to be without Brady at the start of the season while he serves a suspension resulting from the Deflategate investigation.

The journeyman Flynn has spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills. A seventh-round draft pick by the Packers in 2008, Flynn has played in 51 games and started seven, throwing for 2,541 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

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The Philadelphia Eagles and coach Chip Kelly cut ties with Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis after 15 months of a contract dispute.

Mathis, 33, had been absent from organized team activities as he sought an upgrade to his five-year, $25 million contract he signed in 2012. He was due to make $5.5 million this year and $6 million in 2016.

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The Eagles are scheduled to hold three days of mandatory training camp next week. Mathis could have been fined if he failed to report for those workouts that start Tuesday.

Last year, the Eagles gave Mathis and agent Drew Rosenhaus permission to find another team willing to trade for the player. Mathis received the same permission this year, but Kelly decided to part ways Thursday.

The team hasn't made an official announcement, but Mathis tweeted a farewell to Philadelphia shortly after the news broke.

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When Adrian Peterson returns this season, the Minnesota Vikings don't plan to run him into the ground.

After missing most of last season while serving a suspension, Peterson is not expected to be a workhorse in the Vikings' backfield in 2015. There were reports on Friday that the Vikings plan to hold him out of preseason games to avoid wear and tear on his body.

"No question that the workload will be a lot more balanced than in the past because the organization has done an outstanding job of acquiring talent and other explosive pieces," Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson told Around The NFL. "And just as the natural progression as an older back ages, the workload decreases anyway."

The Vikings are hoping to be more balanced behind quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a good crop of receivers. That doesn't mean the team doesn't think any less of Peterson's ability. (Editing by Steve Keating.)

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