Hard-hittin' Atlanta Falcons linebacker Michael Boley -- a rising star in the NFL -- was nabbed by Georgia cops on a charge of battery Saturday night.

Boley was admitted to Gwinnett County Detention Center at 2.30 AM Saturday morning, according to Detention Center logs, and was released on $1,200 bond later that day. The Gwinnett County cops said they were still researching the arrest and had no further details.

The Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at Leavenworth. You know why.