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 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.
- - -
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.
- - -
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.
- - -
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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