CONCORD, N.H.  — A cocaine possession charge against New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung will be dropped with the understanding that he will undergo periodic drug testing and perform 40 hours of community service, a prosecutor said Monday.

A grand jury in New Hampshire indicted Chung in August. Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois had said members of the Meredith, New Hampshire, police department were called to Chung’s home in June and obtained evidence leading to the felony drug charge. Chung pleaded not guilty.

A hearing on Chung’s case was scheduled for Tuesday, but was canceled with the release of the agreement.

Livernois said there are several factors that led the state to agree to drop the charge, including that Chung has no criminal record; that he cooperated with police at his home; that the amount of drugs in question was small; and that Chung underwent a substance abuse evaluation that indicated he did not need treatment.

The agreement says Chung will remain on good behavior for two years, submit to monthly drug testing at a lab for a year, then every 90 days for another year. Chung will agree to provide the state with copies of the results and will sign a waiver allowing the state to communicate directly with the lab to verify the results.

Chung’s community service will be connected to drug abuse prevention and education and will be completed within 18 months, according to the agreement.

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Chung also will agree to waive his rights to a speedy trial and or indictment and agree that if he fails to comply with the requirements, the state has the right to reinstate the charges.

“We are happy with the agreement and ready to move forward,” said Chung’s lawyer, Corey MacDonald.

Court paperwork last month said both sides were “actively engaged in negotiations regarding a possible resolution of this case.” A trial had been scheduled for March.

Chung has been a major contributor on defense to three of the Patriots’ six Super Bowl championships.

JAGUARS: Gardner Minshew was as good as any rookie quarterback in the NFL. Running back Leonard Fournette had a career year. And second-year pro DJ Chark became a weekly threat to defenses.

It wasn’t enough to save offensive coordinator John DeFilippo’s job.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars fired DeFilippo after one season, becoming the second team to part with him in the last 13 months. Coach Doug Marrone made the decision the day his assistants returned from a brief break following the regular-season finale.

Marrone is expected to keep everyone else on his staff. Finding a replacement for DeFilippo could be tough given it seems to be a playoffs-or-overhaul season in Jacksonville.

Owner Shad Khan kept Marrone and General Manager Dave Caldwell despite public calls for a complete reboot, and Khan made it clear that expectations would be high. Marrone and Caldwell have two years remaining on their contracts.

So Marrone will have to persuade someone to join his staff knowing it could be a one-and-done situation. He also has to replace quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich and assistant running backs coach John Donovan. Milanovich left to become the head coach of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Donovan returned to the college ranks as Washington’s offensive coordinator.

LIONS: Detroit hired Cory Undlin to replace Paul Pasqualoni as defensive coordinator.

Matt Patricia added the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach to his staff on Monday. Patricia and Undlin started their NFL careers together with the Patriots in 2004.

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The Lions announced earlier this month Pasqualoni was leaving the team to be closer to his family in Connecticut.

Undlin’s task is to turn around a defense that ranked No. 31 in the NFL for a team with three wins in 2019. He was Philadelphia’s defensive backs coach for five seasons after having the same job for two years during a three-season stretch with the Denver Broncos.

WASHINGTON: Washington continued its organizational overhaul by promoting Kyle Smith to vice president of player personnel.

GIANTS: Quarterback Eli Manning has won the 2020 Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award. The award is given to an NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. The league’s players decided the winner from 10 finalists.


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