Jets' Braylon Edwards charged with DWI, will dress Sunday

Mere hours after he was admonished by Rex Ryan for his unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty in Sunday's win over the Patriots, Braylon Edwards was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.

But it won't cost the Jets wide receiver a shot at playing in Sunday night's AFC East game with the Dolphins in South Florida.

"We have decided that he will not start," general manager Mike Tannenbaum told Newsday last night. "But he will dress."

Edwards, 27, was pulled over at 4:47 a.m. Tuesday at the northeast corner of West 34th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan after officers cited his white 2007 Land Rover with Michigan plates for having overly dark tinted windows.

According to the court complaint, Edwards had watery, bloodshot eyes as observed by officer Armando Urbina, who detected an odor of alcohol on his breath. Edwards' teammates D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Vernon Gholston were passengers in the car, though neither was charged.

Edwards initially asked Urbina for a field sobriety test before he took a Breathalyzer.

He blew a .16, twice the legal limit, prosecutors said, and was arrested. He was held until his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon.

He was arraigned on misdemeanor charges of two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and one count of operating a motor vehicle while impaired, which is a violation. He was released without bail. If convicted, Edwards faces up to a year in prison. He is due back in court Nov. 9.

When asked if Edwards was aware of the severity of his actions, his attorney, Peter M. Frankel, said: "Absolutely, without question. He understands the seriousness of the situation.''

When asked for comment, Edwards responded: "There will be plenty of time to talk. I will address everybody."

Because of language in the collective-bargaining agreement, the Jets couldn't suspend Edwards and they aren't allowed to deactivate him.

"After multiple discussions with Woody Johnson, Rex and myself, and contacting the league, this conduct comes under the league's substance-abuse policy, and it's going to have to run its course through the legal system,'' Tannenbaum said.

Edwards was placed on probation in January for 18 months after pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct in Cleveland. That incident led the Browns to trade him to the Jets two days later.

Edwards had attended Jerricho Cotchery's charity event in Manhattan on Monday night. But according to a source, that wasn't his final stop.

Asked by Urbina when the last time he had a drink was, Edwards was quoted as saying to the officer, "About an hour ago."

The Jets are extremely upset that Edwards did not use the Player Protect program, a car service paid for by the team, which is confidential.

Said Tannenbaum: "We are disappointed in his actions."