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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Police obtained arrest warrants Friday for
LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson and a teammate, Joshua Johns, on
charges of second-degree battery for a bar fight that injured four
people last week, and the players have been suspended indefinitely
by the school.
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Baton Rouge police Sgt. Don Stone said investigators have contacted
the players’ attorney, Nathan Fisher, and LSU coach Les Miles, and
asked for the players to turn themselves in.
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Jefferson and Johns, a linebacker, face felony charges for their
alleged roles in a fight outside Shady’s bar in Baton Rouge on Aug.
19.
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“We will continue to cooperate with the authorities in an effort to
find out exactly what took place during the incident,” Miles said.
“As sad as this incident is, it’s important that we learn from this
and that we take away a valuable lesson. This has weighed on all of
us. It’s time for us to come together as a team and focus on what
we are here to do.”
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A police report says a 19-year-old woman named Victoria Long said
she witnessed several LSU players beating one of the alleged
victims and saw Jefferson kick that man in the face.
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Four people were treated and released at a hospital in the hours
after the fight, and police have said one person had three
fractured vertebrae, injuries serious enough to warrant felony
charges.
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Two witnesses who work at the bar told The Associated Press that
the players did not throw the first punch, but added that once the
melee began, it was difficult to see who hit whom, and could not
verify the extent to which Jefferson and Johns were
involved.
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Shady’s door manager Jordan Neldare, who said he witnessed the
fight, said he noticed that Jefferson removed himself from the
brawl before it was over, and was standing alone near the bar’s
entrance, looking upset.
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Police have identified Jefferson, Johns, offensive lineman Chris
Davenport, and receiver Jarvis Landry as people of interest in the
fight.
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The four players, who each were interviewed by investigators
Tuesday, have hired defense attorney Nathan Fisher, who did not
immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the arrest
warrants.
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On Wednesday, police executed a search warrant of Jefferson’s
apartment and took 49 pairs of shoes, along with a DNA
swab.
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Under team orders, LSU players have not discussed the fight
publicly since it happened.
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Fourth-ranked LSU opens its season Sept. 3 against No. 3 Oregon in
Dallas. Although Johns is a reserve, Jefferson was expected to
start.
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Now fellow senior Jarrett Lee is the likely starter, with sophomore
Zach Mettenberger, a junior college transfer, next in
line.
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Jefferson, a senior, guided LSU to an 11-2 record last season. He
is 20-7 as a starter, but the team ranked last in passing in the
Southeastern Conference last season, with 155.6 yards per
game.
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Still, LSU has numerous key players returning and was expected to
compete for Southeastern Conference and national championships this
season.
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The team’s success now will ride on how the players are able to
regroup from a series of setbacks this offseason, one of which
occurred Thursday when LSU suspended starting wide receiver Russell
Shepard for violating school and NCAA codes that pertain to
discussing NCAA inquiries with teammates who are also scheduled to
be interviewed on the same matter.
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LSU plans to apply for Shepard’s reinstatement, but it is unclear
how long that will take. The receiver will miss at least the opener
and possibly more games.
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Shepard had been interviewed about the NCAA’s ongoing investigation
into the relationship that scouting services provider and purported
street agent Willie Lyles has had with a number of college football
programs, including both LSU and Oregon.
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Earlier this summer, Steve Kragthorpe, who was hired after last
season as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator, announced he had
Parkinson’s disease. He has remained on staff as quarterbacks
coach, but relinquished offensive coordinator duties. Miles has
since promoted offensive line coach Greg Studrawa to fill that
void.
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