Clark declined to detail the charge, but said a tentative plea agreement assumes Lynch was driving his 2008 Porsche Cayenne when it hit a woman crossing a Buffalo intersection early May 31, leaving the victim with a bruised hip and in need of stitches.

There was one other person in the SUV at the time, Clark said. He would not say who it was.

The announcement of an "agreement in principle" between lawyers came as a grand jury was scheduled to begin hearing testimony in the case. Several Bills players and front-office employees were subpoenaed by investigators frustrated by Lynch's refusal to speak with them.

The prosecutor said he does not fault Lynch for exercising his right to stay silent, but acknowledged that his office and the Buffalo police could have used the nearly 3 weeks spent on the headline-grabbing Lynch case on more serious crimes.

"This, at its worst, is a vehicle and traffic misdemeanor. In the hierarchy of criminal conduct, this is certainly in the bottom third," he said.

Lynch, 22, was the Bills' first-round draft pick in 2007. His lawyer, Michael Caffery, did not immediately respond to Clark's announcement. Earlier in the day he said by phone he was working toward a resolution. A message left with the player's agent was not immediately returned.

Noteworthy

* Sports broadcaster Pat Summerall was recovering in the Dallas area from emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding. *