DENVER (AP) -A domestic violence case against Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns was dropped Wednesday as prosecutors cited a lack of evidence.

Defense attorney Harvey Steinberg said prosecutors apparently concluded their case was too weak. Kathleen Walsh, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, in a statement said the case was dropped out of concern ``about doing justice when there is not sufficient evidence to proceed.''

Droughns, who played for the Denver Broncos until a 2005 trade, had been arrested for investigation of third-degree assault and harassment after a May 12 incident at his suburban Denver home.

An arrest report said Droughns and his wife, Kellie, had been arguing when he threw her to the ground and then on the bed, and she told him she wanted a divorce.

He then carried her on his shoulders to the front door, threw her outside and locked the door, the report said. He eventually let her back in but left the house with her wedding ring, her credit cards and cash, the report said.

Kellie Droughns' name is redacted in the report but she has been publicly identified as Droughns' wife.

Droughns had been free on $2,500 bond.

``It's a big weight off my shoulders - getting it out of the picture and being able to just think about football,'' Droughns told The Associated Press in Cleveland.

Droughns had faced six to 18 months in jail if convicted of assault and up to six months in jail if convicted of harassment.

In May, an Ohio jury acquitted Droughns of drunken driving charges stemming from a Nov. 1 traffic stop in Medina in northeast Ohio.

Last season, Droughns rushed for 1,232 yards. Slowed by a shoulder injury this season, he has rushed for 257 yards on 80 carries.

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