Cardinals release DE Philon one day after his arrest for assault

T E M P E , A R I Z.» The Cardinals released defensive end Darius Philon on Saturday, a day after Maricopa County jail records indicate he was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly instrument.

The Cardinals announced the move in a one-sentence statement.

A Phoenix police spokeswoman, Sgt. Maggie Cox, confirmed Saturday that Philon had been arrested, but declined to provide further information, referring a reporter to court documents that were not immediately available Saturday.

According to TMZ, Philon was taken to a Maricopa County jail Friday on charges from an incident in May outside a Phoenix-area strip club. A court video of Philon’s initial court appearance posted by KPNX-TV showed that a judge set bond for Philon and imposed conditions that included allowing Philon to travel out of state for work.

Phillip Noland, an attorney who represented Philon during the brief court appearance, did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment.

The 25-year-old Philon was a projected starter after signing in the offseason as a free agent. He started the Cardinals’ preseason opener Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and played briefly, recording an assist on a tackle. The team had Friday off and reconvened for training camp Saturday without him.

Coach Doug Marrone provided an update on the two starters, saying “we just can’t get them over the hump.”

Robinson, a second-round draft pick in 2017, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last September — during a Week 2 win against New England. Lee, who led the team in receptions in 2017, tore several ligaments in his left knee when Atlanta cornerback Damontae Kazee delivered a helmet-first hit to his knee in a preseason game last August.