Bengals UDFA Darius Hodge arrested for 2019 assault charge, per report

Hodge was one of six college free agent signings for the Bengals this year.

Bengals rookie linebacker Darius Hodge was arrested on Sunday in his hometown of Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Per WRAL.com, Hodge was booked for an assault charge for hitting a man repeatedly two years ago in 2019.

A native of Wake Forest, Hodge originally committed to playing college football at North Carolina State. He ended up at Marshall, where he played for four years. The Bengals signed him as a college free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft back in May.

Hodge was entering his junior year in 2019, so he was charged for assault away from college in his hometown.

As a college free agent signee, Hodge didn’t have a great chance of making the Bengals’ Week 1 roster this year. Including Hodge, the Bengals have 23 defensive linemen and linebackers currently on the roster.

Hodge could make the team with either position provided he has a strong training camp and preseason, but this news very much puts that in jeopardy.

We’ll update this story when additional information is released.