Jets' Edwards appears in court on DWI charges

The attorney for Braylon Edwards and a New York assistant district attorney said during a brief court hearing Tuesday morning that they have discussed a possible plea deal regarding the Jets wide receiver's DWI charges stemming from his Sept. 21 arrest.

Edwards' attorney, Peter Frankel, downplayed their negotiations while speaking outside New York Criminal Court in Manhattan, saying he'd prefer to describe his talks with prosecutors as "in-depth discussions about the case." Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Gunther categorized the discussions during the hearing as ongoing.

Appearing in court for the first time since his arraignment, Edwards did not speak. Dressed in a brown pinstriped suit, he stood by his attorney's side as Judge Michael Yavinski scheduled their next hearing for Jan. 11.

That gives the two sides two months to file additional paperwork, as well as potentially continue their negotiation about a plea deal. "It's always a possibility," Frankel said of a deal. "You want to have all options on the table."

Edwards arrived inside the fourth-floor courtroom at 9:19 a.m., accompanied by a friend, and they sat on the far right of the audience. But he didn't have to wait long. His case was the second called and the hearing lasted only a matter of minutes.

Edwards faces up to a year in jail if convicted on all three counts, two for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and one for driving while impaired. According to the criminal complaint, he is accused of having a .16 blood alcohol level, twice the legal limit.

Also complicating matters is that Edwards remains on probation in Cleveland after pleading no contest in January to aggravated disorderly conduct following a 2009 incident outside a nightclub.

If Edwards is convicted of DWI in New York, he could face an additional six months in jail if the Ohio courts determine he violated his probation. Frankel said he has been in touch with the appropriate authorities in Cleveland since Edwards' arrest.

Edwards' next scheduled court date falls during the week between the NFL wild-card and divisional playoff games. Frankel requested a Tuesday court date because that is typically a day off for NFL players.

Edwards did not address reporters as he left the downtown courthouse and entered an idling SUV.

In a story in yesterday's Newsday about his return to Cleveland this weekend to face his former team, the Browns, Edwards declined to discuss the DWI case, calling it a "pending legal matter."