Aug 242011
 

BATON ROUGE, La. — Authorities searched LSU starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s apartment on Wednesday and collected a swab of his DNA in connection with a bar fight last week that injured four people.

“He gave us 100 percent cooperation,” Baton Rouge police Sgt. Don Stone said, adding that the quarterback’s attorney also showed up and that authorities didn’t ask Jefferson any questions.

“During the course of the investigation we got enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for his home. The reason was to search for certain items that will assist in the ongoing investigation and will help either prove or disprove the allegations against Jefferson.”

Investigators left with several brown bags of evidence, but Stone said he could not immediately discuss what items were taken from the senior quarterback’s home.

The search came a day after Jefferson and three teammates — offensive lineman Chris Davenport, linebacker Josh Johns and receiver Jarvis Landry — were interviewed by police for the first time since the fight that occurred in the parking lot of a bar were police say numerous LSU players were gathered late Thursday night.

The most seriously injured victim has three broken vertebrae, Police chief Dewayne White has said.

There have been no arrests and no charges have been filed, but White stressed that police hope to gather enough evidence to arrest whoever is responsible for the victims’ injuries.

If arrests are made, charges could range from misdemeanor simple battery to felony second-degree battery, Stone said.

While Davenport, Johns and Landry are reserves and weren’t expected to play much in the season opener, Jefferson was expected to start. If he cannot play, fellow senior Jarrett Lee likely would start behind center, with junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger next in line.

For now, however, LSU coach Les Miles isn’t ready to exclude Jefferson from the game plan, and Jefferson has been sharing first-team practice and scrimmage snaps with Lee.

Police have video from the scene but have said it does not show the fight itself.

Investigators also are still tracking down and interviewing witnesses.

White has said that most of the initial statements investigators have taken were conflicting and seemed to contain a bias in favor of either the victims or the four named players. White has said he wants investigators to find more “objective” witnesses who do not have ties to either party in the altercation.

via Police search LSU QB Jordan Jefferson’s apartment after bar fight – ESPN.

 Posted by at 8:12 pm
Aug 242011
 

MOBILE, Alabama — Mobile’s Danny Sheridan has been contacted by the NCAA concerning information about the recruitment of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and expects to talk to a representative from the organization’s investigation staff this week.

Sheridan was contacted through his attorney, Vince Kilborn, who said, “I can confirm that an NCAA representative called me Monday and asked to speak to my client about the whole Cam Newton matter.”

Sheridan made waves on Paul Finebaum’s radio show recently when he said that an NCAA source told him there was a known “bag man” who helped recruit Newton to Auburn.

“I let them know that if they wished to talk to me, I will talk to them on or off the record about subjects of mutual interest,” Sheridan said of the NCAA. “I have no idea if the allegations against Auburn are true. I only know that what I reported was exactly what I was told.”

Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, has admitted trying to get money from Mississippi State in exchange for his son signing with the Bulldogs. The NCAA has never implicated or even confirmed that Auburn was a party in its investigation into Newton’s recruitment.

But the NCAA continues to give signs that the Newton case has not been closed.

“We don’t talk about investigations, but when they’re closed, they’re closed,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said on the Dan Patrick Show radio show this week. “They will continue to look at anything they have available in any of these situations until they’ve reached a conclusion that there’s nothing to discover in any of these cases.”

Patrick responded by saying, “I can assume then, since I haven’t heard that it’s closed, that it’s ongoing.”

Emmert, who earlier in the interview talked about the ongoing scandal at Miami, laughed: “You can make assumptions. That’s fine.”

Sheridan, who is a football analyst and sets the betting odds for USA Today, said he has no desire to get any program in hot water.

“I don’t want to see either Auburn or Alabama on probation,” Sheridan said. “That’s the last thing I want to see for one of the programs that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to our state.”

via NCAA to speak to Danny Sheridan about Cam Newton ‘bag man’ report | al.com.

 Posted by at 8:04 pm
Aug 232011
 

MOBILE COUNTY, Alabama — Mobile County Sheriff’s officials have now charged an Irvington man with attempted murder in a shooting that injured former University of Alabama and NFL player Antwan Deon Odom, deputies said today.

Tony Gildersleeve, 28, turned himself in to authorities Monday afternoon. He was charged with first-degree burglary in a shooting that occurred about 4:30 a.m. Monday at a home on Amanda Lane in Irvington, deputies said. Officials said the shooting stemmed from a fit of jealousy. Deputies said the a gunman entered the house through an unlocked back door, walked into a bedroom and fired two shots, one hitting Odom in the upper right thigh.

A woman identified as Gildersleeve’s girlfriend was in the bedroom with Odom, but was not injured in the incident, deputies said.

Gildersleeve remains jailed without bail, according to Mobile County Metro Jail records.

via Antwan Deon Odom shooting: Irvington man charged with attempted murder | al.com.

 Posted by at 7:45 pm