Arrest warrants issued for LSU players over fight

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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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