Six Penn State Players Arrested after Fight

Six Penn State football players, including stars Anthony Scirrotto and Justin King, turned themselves in Friday to face charges that they barged into a party and started a violent fight at an off-campus apartment earlier this month.
Each player faces at least one felony count of criminal trespass. Scirrotto, a safety, faces the most serious charges, including two other felonies -- burglary and criminal solicitation.
Both current and former Penn State football players have had two serious run-ins with the law in 2007.
All six defendants were arraigned Friday and released on unsecured bail.
Police said Scirrotto and his girlfriend got into an altercation with three men on a street in State College and followed them to an apartment building. He called his brother and some friends to join him, but they weren't immediately let into the party, police said.
Scirrotto then called a teammate and met up with a group of players who also arrived at the party, authorities said.
A group of men, including all six players, then rushed into the apartment and a melee ensued, police said.
Some of the victims were punched, one was hit in the head with a beer bottle and knocked unconscious, and another was punched and kicked in the face, authorities said. At least five students were struck during the fight and at least two needed treatment at a hospital, authorities said.
Linebacker Jerome Hayes, who was among the six players charged, told police there was "chaos for five straight minutes" after the players rushed into the apartment early on April 1 to get revenge on Scirrotto's behalf.
"You got to do what you got to do," he told police, according to the arrest affidavit. "We went down to protect."
Penn State's judicial affairs office will review the allegations to determine whether the students violated the school's code of conduct, university spokesman Bill Mahon said. He could not say how long it would take to complete the review.
In a statement issued by the athletic department, coach Joe Paterno said the football staff was concerned about the accusations "and will determine the appropriate consequence for each player's status on the team when due process has transpired."
Spring practice has ended, and no further official team activities are scheduled until preseason practice begins in early August, an athletic department spokesman said.
Scirrotto was the Big Ten's leader last year in interceptions and King was one of Paterno's top recruits in 2005.
Christopher Baker, a defensive tackle, was charged with two felony counts -- burglary and criminal trespass -- plus four related charges. Baker faces more serious charges because he was the only one who police were certain had thrown punches, the State College police chief said.
Lydell Sargeant, a cornerback; Tyrell Sales, a linebacker; King; and Hayes each was charged with one felony -- criminal trespass -- plus two related counts.
Ron McGlaughlin, who represents King and Hayes, called his clients "peacemakers," saying they didn't assault anyone and tried to defuse the situation. McGlaughlin said he would try to get the charges dropped.
"You go in to get people out and say 'Stop, stop this, we've got to go,' and all of a sudden you are facing criminal charges," he said. "Just because you're inside and there is a bunch of pushing and shoving doesn't mean you're a part of any of that."
Stacy Parks Miller, an attorney for Sales, said: "Right now, everything is just an accusation." Sargeant's attorney, Karen Muir, said only that she and her client planned to discuss the details of the case.
Scirrotto's attorney did not immediately return a call.
Two other men, neither of whom is an athlete, were charged with less serious offenses stemming from Scirrotto's initial argument on the street, which happened late on March 31, police said.
Most of the people involved in the apartment fight had been drinking, said the police chief, Thomas R. King. Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said there were dozens of people in a hallway outside the apartment, but that authorities decided not to charge anyone who didn't go inside.

Nebraska's Pruify arrested again for DUI

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Wide receiver Maurice Purify was suspended indefinitely from the Nebraska football team Friday after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, his second run-in with law enforcement in five weeks.

A State Patrol trooper stopped Purify at 12:25 a.m. at the intersection of Cornhusker Highway and North First Street in Lincoln. Purify was observed driving 53 mph in a 40 mph zone and failing to use his turn signal, patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said. Purify was taken to the Lincoln Detoxification Center after being ticketed on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Collins said she didn't know Purify's blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest.
"We are aware of Maurice's situation and we take it very seriously," coach Bill Callahan said. "I met with Maurice today and explained to him that he is indefinitely suspended from the team. At this point, his future status with our team is uncertain."

A call seeking comment from Purify's attorney, Jon Braaten of Lincoln, was not immediately returned.

Purify had been charged with two counts of assault, resisting arrest, trespassing and failure to comply after a May 5 incident at a downtown bar. Purify was accused of throwing a man over a table, hitting him several times and striking the man's girlfriend.

Purify had been authorized to enter a pretrial diversion program in that case. City prosecutor John McQuinn couldn't be reached to comment on how Purify's arrest Friday would affect his participation in diversion.

Purify, from Eureka, Calif., was Nebraska's second-leading receiver last season, catching 34 passes for 630 yards and seven touchdowns. He will be a senior in the fall.

UH Football Player Arrested for Abuse

University of Hawaii football player Keenan Jones was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony abuse and kidnapping after a domestic disturbance at his Manoa apartment. The incident happened just hours after the defensive back was suspended from the football team for breaking team rules.
According to police, Jones and his live-in girlfriend got into a heated argument at their Dole street apartment which quickly escalated to physical confrontation. In a statement, the woman alleges Jones punched and kicked her and prevented her from leaving the couple's apartment.
The 21-year old is a junior-college transfer who was on the Warriors' roster last season but did not play.
UH coach June Jones declined comment on the situation until the investigation is complete.

UNC football player charged with assault

Linebacker Garrett White will be disciplined internally by North Carolina coach Butch Davis after White's arrest on a misdemeanor simple assault charge early Sunday morning.
White, 20, was arrested after an incident in a downtown Chapel Hill parking lot, said Chapel Hill police spokeswoman Jane Cousins.
Paul Britt of Chapel Hill alleged that White struck him in the face after a verbal altercation, then left the scene in a vehicle with two other people.
Police later located the vehicle, and Britt identified White as the person who struck him, according to Cousins. White was released on a written promise to appear in court April 10, Cousins said.

Hawkeye Football Player Arrested

A University Of Iowa football player faces problems off the field today. Starting linebacker, Ed Miles, was arrested early yesterday for an assault at an Iowa City bar.

Police say it happened shortly before 4:00 yesterday morning at Brothers Bar And Grill in Iowa City.

On Saturday, Miles led the Hawkeyes with 11 tackles in a 24-to-14 victory against Northern Illinois University.

Vols face punishments for arrests

KNOXVILLE —Tennessee football teammates David Holbert and Antonio Wardlow fought with each other prior to their arrests outside a Knoxville nightspot early Sunday morning.

Arian Foster, also arrested, had tried to break up a fight before a subsequent scuffle led to his arrest at Good Fellas, where more than 70 people were involved in the altercation, according to arrest reports obtained by The Daily Times in Maryville from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Additional football and at least three basketball players were present, according to witnesses who spoke with The Daily Times.

The arrests occurred hours after the Vols lost 28-24 at home to LSU, a setback that allowed Florida to clinch the SEC East title and likely quashed Tennessee’s hopes for an at-large bid to the Bowl Championship Series.

“It’s silly and stupid. When male ego and alcohol mix, it’s not a good thing,” said Head Coach Phillip Fulmer, who has seen seven players arrested since May. “We had a great team meeting on Sunday night, really fantastic because of the leadership of the team. Everybody concerned did a great job dealing with it. Everybody made their apologies and we went on.”

According to Wardlow’s arrest report, he “squared off with another male (Holbert) and began to throw punches.”

Holbert’s report was virtually identical, with police indicating they witnessed Holbert “attempting to engage in a fight, shoving, yelling and throwing punches.”

Fulmer announced his disciplinary actions for the three prior to his team’s Monday afternoon practice. The No. 13 Vols (7-2, 5-2) began game-week preparations for Saturday’s contest at 11th-ranked Arkansas (8-1, 5-0), which kicks off at 7 p.m. EST and will be televised by ESPN2.

Wardlow, a redshirt freshman defensive back who was cited for disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and underage consumption, was suspended for the Arkansas and Vanderbilt games. Holbert, a junior fullback, will miss the Arkansas game after charges of disorderly conduct and underage consumption. Foster, a sophomore who has started four games this season at tailback, will not play in the first half of Saturday’s contest after his arrest for disorderly conduct and underage consumption.

Fulmer said Good Fellas would now be considered off-limits to his players.

“Several guys did a fantastic job of leaving and other guys helping other guys to make sure they weren't involved,” Fulmer said. “They didn’t leave when they were supposed to. They should have.”

Senior defensive lineman Turk McBride said the Vols would not allow the incident to become a lingering distraction this week during preparations for Arkansas.

“Coach Fulmer has constantly reminded us to put our best foot forward in representing ourselves, our team and our families,” McBride said in a statement. “Our focus is on our education, our social growth as men and our team. Coach will deal with this and we will move on to prepare for Arkansas.”

Added senior left tackle Arron Sears, “The immature behavior of a couple of guys is certainly not representative of our team’s focus and energy to do the right things on and off the field.”

Earlier in the day before the punishments had been announced, junior linebacker Ryan Karl told reporters, “I’m really not supposed to talk about it, but it’s disappointing.”

Foster, Holbert and Wardlow were each released on $500 bond. They will be arraigned Nov. 14.

KU Basketball player cited for battery

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas forward C.J. Giles was dismissed from the team Tuesday after a student reported Giles had dragged her from his apartment by her feet and hit her.

University police ticketed Giles for misdemeanor battery, and he was given a notice to appear in municipal court on the battery charge. Giles was not taken into custody.

In dismissing Giles from the team, coach Bill Self noted Giles' "pattern of irresponsible behavior and disrespect for team rules."

Giles had been reinstated to the team last week but was told he would not be allowed to play in any games this semester. Self announced Oct. 17 that the 6-foot-11 junior would be barred from practice until he resolved "personal issues," which included but were not limited to poor academic performance.

At the time, Giles had an appearance pending in Douglas County District Court on allegations of owing $4,097 in child support to the mother of his 1-year-old son. A judge later postponed the hearing to Jan. 8, 2007.

The latest incident occurred Monday at Giles' apartment. According to the police report, the student told police Giles instructed her to leave after he got a phone call from his girlfriend, who was headed to his apartment.

The report said when the woman questioned Giles about having a girlfriend, Giles became angry and dragged her into the hallway where he then "struck her in the left side of her head by her ear" with his closed fist.

Giles admitted to police that he dragged the woman across the floor, the report says, but denied hitting her in the head. The report listed the woman's injuries as minor.

In a prepared statement, the university described the woman as a former girlfriend who refused to leave Giles' apartment.

"We are not now making a judgment about guilt or innocence regarding this incident," Self said in the statement. "But this is yet another example of C.J. putting himself in a situation in which negative things can happen.

"C.J. was well aware of the consequences of another lapse in judgment," Self said. "We normally would let the judicial process play its course before dismissing someone, but C.J. has exhibited a pattern of irresponsible behavior and has left us no choice."

Giles started 13 of 33 games last year, averaging 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.

UNC backup Punter stabs starter in the leg

The backup punter at Northern Colorado has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing his teammate -- the starting punter -- in the kicking leg.
The motive may have been competition for the first-string job, police said Wednesday.
Mitch Cozad was accused of attacking punter Rafael Mendoza in a parking lot Monday night, Evans police Lt. Gary Kessler said.
Mendoza was treated and released from the North Colorado Medical Center Monday night. Coach Scott Downing said Mendoza will not punt in Saturday's game at Texas State University.
"I guess the only identified motive at this point in time is the competition for that position," Kessler said Wednesday.
The stabbing took place in Evans, a small town adjacent to Greeley and about 50 miles north of Denver.
The Greeley Tribune first reported the story in Wednesday's editions.
Cozad was suspended from school and from the team, university officials said in a news release. They did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press but scheduled a news conference later Wednesday.
Kessler said Cozad, a sophomore, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of second-degree assault. He remained in jail as of Wednesday morning, and it was not immediately known whether he had an attorney.
Kessler said Mendoza was attacked from behind and stabbed in his right thigh after parking his car outside his Evans apartment Monday night.
The assailant fled in a black Dodge Charger, Kessler said. About 10 minutes after the attack, a liquor store clerk told police that two men in a car matching that description stopped outside the store, stripped tape off the license plate and drove away.
The clerk gave police the license number and the car was traced to Cozad, Kessler said.
Mendoza, a junior, has averaged 37.6 yards per punt on nine punts in the two games this season.
Downing told the Greeley Tribune he had not spoken to Rafael's doctor and did not know how long he would be out.

South Carolina QB Arrested

South Carolina starting quarterback Blake Mitchell was arrested for assault Wednesday after apparently punching another man in the eye and has been suspended from the team, according to police and a Gamecocks spokesman.
Richland County jail officials said Mitchell, 21, was being booked into the facility for simple assault, a misdemeanor.
Mitchell was suspended indefinitely from the team by coach Steve Spurrier, according to athletic department spokesman Steve Fink.
A Columbia police report said Mitchell was involved in an incident early Wednesday at a bar near the university.
The complainant, listed as Kylan Ertzberger, told police Mitchell approached him about 1:45 a.m. and "initiated a verbal confrontation."
As Ertzberger turned away, Mitchell "punched him in his left eye," according to the report.
The report said Ertzberger told Mitchell "he did not like that the subject tried to enter (the bar) with underage girls." That's when the confrontation took place.
Police arrived at the scene about 30 minutes later, the report said.
Ertzberger is not a member of the football team, and Fink did not think Ertzberger was part of any athletic team.
A message left for Ertzberger was not immediately returned.
Mitchell, a junior, came to South Carolina before the 2003 season and had started 11 games last season and both contests this year.
On Spurrier's weekly radio show before the Gamecocks' opener at Mississippi State on Aug. 31, the coach said Mitchell has a chance to surprise a lot of people and become the all-Southeastern Conference quarterback this fall.
Mitchell and the offense, though, have struggled. He has completed 28 of 44 passes for 247 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
The Gamecocks take on Wofford this Saturday.