One of the bits of news that the Bengals and their fans have been waiting on is if starting middle linebacker Rey Maualuga will be facing an NFL-sanctioned suspension for an assault charge from earlier this year. If you remember, Maualuga was accused of punching a nightclub owner in the face at the owner's place of business. One thing in Maualuga's corner is that the case was dropped and was settled through mediation, lessening the severity of the incident.

According to both Paul Dehner, Jr., of CBSSports and Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer, no news is good news at this point.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that Maualuga is in the clear, yet. A major point of contention with Commissioner Roger Goodell's punishments is inconsistency of when they are divvied out and in how severe the punishments are in each case. Since he has had his hands full with the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and "Bounty Gate", it's possible that Goodell simply hasn't gotten around to the Maualuga situation yet.

Still, with each day that passes without a punishment, it breeds hope that Maualuga will be available for the entire season. The team seems to think that a punishment either isn't coming or won't be severe, as they didn't pursue another middle linebacker in the draft or free agency. They did sign undrafted free agent, Vontaze Burfict, though and he could be a stopgap solution if Maualuga were to miss any time.