Walker

The fact that Walker pleaded guilty Aug. 11 to an incident in his apartment last June was first reported by the Nashville Scene on Wednesday. Coach Jeff Fisher pointed out that everything took place six months ago.

"I think it's a little unusual it came up now. Typically I think these things come up at the worst possible time," said Fisher, whose Titans (14-3) visit the Indianapolis Colts (13-3) Sunday in an AFC divisional playoff.

"The timing's not good. Somewhere, somehow there was some motivation on someone's behalf to draw attention to themselves. That's out of our hands. We'll deal with it and go on."

Walker, the Titans' starting left cornerback the past three seasons, talked briefly with Fisher at the end of practice. But he declined to comment and stayed away from reporters.

His agent, John Hamilton, issued a release late Wednesday afternoon describing the incident as a "minor altercation" with a "former friend."

According to police reports, Walker threatened, punched and tried to strangle then-21-year-old Rhonda Lynn Chesser, the mother of his 19-month-old son, after an argument in his apartment on June 26. Police reports said Chesser had bruises on her legs, arms and face with marks on her neck and told police that Walker also threatened several times that "he could kill her."

Two days later, Walker gave a statement to police saying he and Chesser argued and "basically wrestled on the floor, with some punches thrown not to be harmful." He said he received "marks around my neck, with some minor scratches" during the fight.

Walker was arrested on July 11 and didn't have enough cash to post a $3,000 bond. Sgt. John Smith lent Walker enough money to post bail with a bondsman.

"The police officer used poor judgment," said Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department. "It should not have happened."

As part of the plea agreement, Walker must stay away from Chesser, attend weekly domestic abuse classes and stay out of trouble for 11 months, 29 days. Assistant district attorney Carlton Drumwright said it was the standard agreement for a first-time offender.

Neither Fisher nor the NFL would comment on whether the league had punished Walker. Any player who pleads guilty to assault faces mandatory counseling and other discipline that can include fines and suspensions.

Fisher said he was informed of the incident last summer while he was on vacation but did not know the specifics.

"Denard was prepared to face the consequences and as far as we're concerned, he did just that," Fisher said.

It's the fourth incident off the field that the Titans have dealt with since training camp.