NFL's Montae Nicholson's Criminal Case Dropped Despite Knockout Video

Washington Redskins safety Montae Nicholson is off the hook in his assault case -- prosecutors have dropped the criminal charges against him ... despite video showing the NFL player KOing a guy.

As we previously reported, Nicholson was arrested in Virginia back in December for assault and battery, and public drunkenness after video showed the 23-year-old beating the hell out of a guy in the middle of the street around 2 AM.

You can see Nicholson throw a solid left which connects -- and the other man goes limp as he collapses to the ground.

But Tuesday, Nicholson appeared in court -- where prosecutors dropped the assault charge, according to court records.

Nicholson's attorney told the Washington Post prosecutors had "insufficient evidence."

Unclear why they would reach that conclusion with the evidence at hand -- it's possible he reached a settlement with the victim, who then refused to cooperate with prosecutors. We just don't know yet.