WASHINGTON (AP) — NFL defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth has pleaded no contest to a charge of simple assault to resolve a case in which he was accused of touching the breast of a waitress at a Washington hotel.

Haynesworth appeared Monday in D.C. Superior Court to enter the plea. Haynesworth had been scheduled to go to trial Tuesday on a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse.

If convicted of the sexual abuse charge, he had faced up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. But the plea resolves the case as long as Haynesworth stays out of trouble for the next 18 months.

The charge stemmed from a visit to the W Hotel in February.

Haynesworth was traded recently to the New England Patriots from the Washington Redskins.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.