The Sports Xchange

Former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes was charged Friday in connection with a hit-and-run after his car was found abandoned with front-end damage.

Massachusetts State Police issued a citation, charging Spikes with speeding, negligent driving and other motor vehicle offenses from an accident early Sunday morning. He also was cited with leaving the scene and failure to stay within marked lanes.

Spikes, 27, will be summonsed to appear in Wrentham District Court at an undetermined date.

Spikes’ damaged Mercedes was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. The Patriots released him the next day.

According to authorities, Spikes was speeding and driving negligently when he crashed his 2011 Maybach sedan into the back of a sport utility vehicle on 495 northbound. The occupants of the SUV suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Responding troopers located the Maybach with significant front-end damage in the median shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday.

“The driver was not with the vehicle,” State Police said in a statement.. “Before he fled the scene, however, he was contacted by the Mercedes onboard assistance service, which had detected a crash and called the vehicle. During that call, the driver reported that he had struck a deer. When troopers responded to the abandoned car, they found no evidence of a deer strike on or around the Maybach.”

The charge of leaving the scene carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, but experts have said it is unlikely Spikes sees jail time.

Spikes played four seasons in New England before signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last year. The Patriots signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $2 million in May. The only guaranteed money was a $25,000 signing bonus.

The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Spikes originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick (62nd overall) by the Patriots out of Florida in 2010.

Spikes has played in 66 games (50 starts) and has registered 384 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, seven forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 15 passes defensed.