Shirley's re-trial postponed until September 24

Charles Magill argued that he would like to review his client's transcripts from the first trial and have Jason Shirley's re-trial postponed 90 days -- in truth, he wants it pushed back to February, after the rookie's first NFL season. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brant K. Bramer is giving Shirley's lawyer another month (September 24) to review the case.

Since the trial is in California, this will seriously limit Shirley's participation in practice -- and by extension, his playing time. The Bengals travel to New York to play the Giants on the 21st (third game of the season) and then host the Cleveland Browns on September 28th. If all goes well, Shirley would likely miss one game (Browns) and return the following week. If all does not go well, Shirley could miss significant time with the possibility of jail time still on the table. And we assume that Chancellor Roger Goodell will weigh in on the issue and judge based on whether the Personal Conduct Policy was violated.