Former Tennessee football player Tony McDaniel reached a settlement late Monday night in a civil suit filed by Edward Goodrich, hours before the case was set to go to trial.

Goodrich’s suit sought $800,000 in damages from McDaniel, who is a member of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, stemming from a 2005 incident in which McDaniel punched Goodrich, then a fellow UT student, while the two were playing a pickup basketball game in the TREC gym on campus.

“I can tell you the case is resolved to everybody’s satisfaction,” said McDaniel’s attorney, Dallas Reynolds. “I think everybody’s happy that it’s over with.”

Goodrich’s attorney, Lane Wolfenbarger, said his client was pleased with the settlement, which includes a sum up front as well as an unknown structured sum.

Neither Reynolds nor Wolfenbarger would divulge the amount of the settlement. Goodrich sought $300,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.

“Mr. Goodrich was pleased with the settlement we were able to reach,” Wolfenbarger said. “We felt we had a very compelling case, that the jury award would be substantial in this case. Any settlement offer that he would have entertained at this late date would have reflected that. He’s very pleased with the settlement.”

McDaniel punched Goodrich once on Jan. 12, 2005, breaking four bones in Goodrich’s face. A security camera inside the TREC gym captured the punch on videotape, and McDaniel, who is now 23, was indicted on a felony assault charge.

He pleaded to a misdemeanor assault charge and was suspended for Tennessee’s first two games of the 2005 season.

According to Reynolds, McDaniel has apologized to Goodrich.

“They did speak,” Reynolds said. “I know that they did. They’ve been forced to interact with each other during the process of getting the case ready for trial. They’ve interacted and they’re cordial with each other, and I know that Tony apologized to him in person.”

Wolfenbarger said that Goodrich has recovered well since the incident, which left him with assorted injuries.

“Mr. Goodrich has made a good recovery from his injuries and he’s doing very well professionally,” Wolfenbarger said.

McDaniel, a 6-foot-7, 295-pound defensive tackle, played three seasons at UT before turning pro following his junior season in 2005.

McDaniel, a Columbia, S.C., native, initially opted to return for his senior season, but reversed himself one day after Goodrich filed the suit in Knox County Circuit Court on Jan. 11, 2006.

McDaniel signed with Jacksonville in 2006 as an undrafted free agent and played in 11 games as a rookie.

McDaniel played in four games this season for the Jaguars before a wrist injury put him on injured reserve in October.

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.