Update: Shortly after CBR posted this story, LSU acted swiftly and suspended Jefferson and Johns indefinitely in a statement released by the school…
“Jordan and Josh have been suspended indefinitely. We will continue to cooperate with the authorities in an effort to find out exactly what took place during the incident. 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.”
The Baton Rouge Police Department has turned the LSU Bar Brawl situation up a notch as they issued warrants for the arrest of Jordan Jefferson and Josh Johns today. Jefferson and Johns are two of the four players who were brought in for questioning Tuesday by the police.
This is the first truly significant move in the event and comes after the police confiscated some 49 pairs of shoes from Jefferson’s apartment following a witness stating that she saw Jordan Jefferson kicking a victim in the head. Both players are charged with 2nd degree battery and have been asked by police and Les Miles to willfully turn themselves into the authorities.
What happens for the Bayou Bengals going forward will be interesting. Second degree battery is defined as:
Second degree battery is defined as committing a battery where intentional serious bodily injury is inflicted. This includes injury which features unconsciousness, extreme pain, disfigurement, loss or impairment, or substantial risk of death.
It carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and up to $2,000 in fines.
Going forward it will be up to Jefferson and Johns’ lawyers to decide the next play. Do they take this to court and fight it? Do they plea this down? From there Les Miles and the LSU administration will have their hands full. Being charged with a crime doesn’t mean instant guilt but can they play guys that have a court date hanging over their heads? If the two young men plead to a lesser charge how long will they be suspended?
Now that the warrants are out this big ball of ugly just got worse and with a date against Oregon in Dallas looming just eight days away it is beginning to look like we’ll see heavy doses of Jarrett Lee against the Ducks.
