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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Mark Potash

Lawsuit vs. Bears, Mario Edwards, Jr. has been dismissed

Bears defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. is in his third season with the Bears. He had two sacks in 12 games last season. (David Berding, AP Photos)

A lawsuit against the Bears and defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. stemming from an alleged assault during a Bears road game in 2020 has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff, a Sun-Times source has confirmed. 

Edwards was charged with misdemeanor assault after an incident with a woman at the Bears’ hotel on Oct. 17, 2020, the night before the Bears played the Panthers in Charlotte, N.C. 

Joann Blakney, who had a previous relationship with Edwards, filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in October of 2021, accusing Edwards of “assault, battery and intentional inflection of emotional distress” as a result of an argument with Edwards in his hotel room. The suit also accused the Bears of “negligent supervision and defamation.”

The NFL did not punish Edwards after conducting a personal-conduct investigation of the incident. Through his agent, Peter Schaffer, Edwards has denied the charges, though Schaffer has acknowledged there was a verbal argument between Edwards and Blakney in the hotel room.

Edwards, 28, is in his third season with the Bears. He signed a three-year, $11.5 million extension in March of 2021 after getting four sacks in 15 games in 2020. Edwards had two sacks in 12 games last season after serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.  

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