Bucs tight end Jerramy Stevens was sentenced to 12 days in jail and received $3,160 in fines today after his drunk-driving conviction last month in Scottsdale, Ariz.

But Stevens won't miss any action on the field -- at least not yet.

Facing 30 days in jail, he had his sentence immediately stayed by Judge B. Monte Morgan pending the outcome of an appeal by Stevens' attorney. The attorney, James Nesci, told the Times recently that he planned to appeal the conviction, adding that the future legal wrangling likely means there won't be an outcome until after the football season. That should allow Stevens to stay on the field and serve any jail time in the offseason, Nesci said.

Stevens had 18 days of his mandatory 30-day sentence suspended because he is participating in NFL-mandated alcohol rehabilitation. He was arrested in the early-morning hours of March 13 in Scottsdale for driving erractically. His blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.204 percent, which in Arizona qualifies as an extreme DUI. The state's legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Stevens, who signed with the Bucs a month after his arrest, was present for today's hearing but should return to Tampa in time to participate in Wednesday's team workout at One Buc Place.