The Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael was arrested Tuesday for allegedly hitting his pregnant wife.

McMichael was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Broward County sheriff's officials said.

His wife, Cawanna, also was arrested on a domestic battery charge stemming from a fight early Tuesday morning at their home. Officials said she is six months pregnant.

Randy McMichael was released Tuesday evening on $5,000 bond; his wife on a $1,000 bond, officials said. Both appeared in court wearing jail-issued uniforms, and both wept during the brief proceeding.

"We are certainly aware of the seriousness of this matter and we don't condone the types of actions which have been alleged to have occurred," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement. "However, we will withhold any comment on this specific situation until the judicial process has run its course."

Randy McMichael's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined comment.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound McMichael has caught 88 passes for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons with the Dolphins.

McMichael told sheriff's investigators he had been out drinking with friends, according to a probable cause affidavit. After arriving home, he became ill in a downstairs bathroom when his wife came in and began yelling at him.

He told investigators his wife "hit him across the head with her hand," and she fell to the ground when he pushed her.

Cawanna McMichael, though, said her husband grabbed her arm and hit her several times. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation, then transported to the jail for booking, officials said.

It was unknown whether either has an attorney.

PACKERS: Green Bay signed wide receiver Robert Ferguson to a five-year contract extension. He started 12 games in 2003, totaling 38 catches for 520 yards and four touchdowns.

STEELERS: Free agent cornerback Shane Walton signed with Pittsburgh. He spent all but four weeks of last season on injured reserve for St. Louis with a back injury but was an All-American at Notre Dame in 2002.

CFL: The NFL and CFL extended their working agreement through the 2006 season.

The two leagues agreed to their first deal in 1997, one that saw the NFL give the CFL a $3 million loan for the right to sign CFL option-year players. The original agreement expired in December, but the two sides decided to extend it until April while they worked on a long-term venture.

Under terms of the new agreement, NFL teams still will be able to sign CFL players entering their option year through the 2006 season. As in the past, those players aren't eligible for allocation to NFL Europe.

The NFL also will provide exposure for live CFL games, including the Grey Cup on a non-exclusive basis, through the NFL Network.

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