Ausar Walcott charged with attempted murder in N.J.

On the same day that tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested by authorities and released by the New England Patriots, the Cleveland Browns were dealing with their own serious legal matter.

Rookie defensive end/linebacker Ausar Walcott was charged with attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault and third-degree endangering an injured victim, the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, in Paterson, N.J., confirmed to NFL.com. Walcott is accused of punching Derek Jones in the side of the head outside The Palace Gentlemen's Club in Passaic early Sunday.

Just like the Patriots, the Browns swiftly acted in response to the news. The team released Walcott on Wednesday afternoon. An undrafted player from Virginia, Walcott was signed on May 13.

A source close to the situation told the NFL Network's Michelle Beisner that the decision was made without hesitation because the Browns "will not tolerate that kind of behavior."

With his NFL career on hold, Walcott will be dealing with serious charges. According to a spokesman, Walcott was remanded to the Passaic County Jail at 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday. His bail was set at $500,000, and he was being held pending a bail source hearing, ordered by Judge Raymond Reddin. The hearing would require Walcott -- if he posted bail -- to disclose from where he got the money.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.