BATON ROUGE, La. — A grand jury reduced charges against Jordan Jefferson to a misdemeanor for his involvement in a bar fight, and the LSU quarterback’s suspension from the top-ranked Tigers was lifted soon after Wednesday night.
Jefferson, who testified before the grand jury, is now charged with simple battery and faces maximum penalties, if convicted, of up to six months in jail and fines up to $500. His attorney, Lewis Unglesby, said his client “will never be convicted” if the case goes to trial.
Jefferson and reserve linebacker Josh Johns were initially booked with felony second-degree battery in the Aug. 19 fight. The grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to bring any charges against Johns. LSU coach Les Miles said both players would be welcomed back at practice today, but he was unsure if Jefferson would play Saturday against Kentucky.
• Minnesota coach Jerry Kill returned to practice three days after checking into the Mayo Clinic to seek more treatment for seizures that have been plaguing him the last three weeks. He said he plans to be on the sideline for Saturday’s game at Michigan.
• Prosecutors dropped resisting arrest and perjury charges against Florida State cornerback Greg Reid.
• Tennessee sophomore receiver Justin Hunter had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee and is expected to be available for spring practice.
Critical weekend looms for NBA
NEW YORK — NBA owners and players are expected to meet today for a bargaining session that will set the course for the next several months. If they make progress, there will be more talks Saturday and Sunday. If the weekend ends without at least the framework of a deal, regular-season games will almost certainly be lost.
“There are enormous consequences at play here on the basis of the weekend,” commissioner David Stern said after a four-hour meeting among the lead negotiators for both sides.
For the first time, Stern also hinted publicly at a threat that he has, until now, only made privately to the players union: Owners will cancel the season rather than continue under the current system.
Referring to this weekend’s talks, Stern said: “It won’t be a question of just starting the season on time; it will be a lot at risk from the absence of progress.”
• Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said it’s “very possible” he will play in Italy during the NBA lockout, adding the country is like home because he spent part of his childhood there.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves introduced Rick Adelman as their next coach, handing him the reins to the youngest team in the league that has lost 132 games over the last two seasons.
Footnotes.
Dave Hill, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour who also won the Colorado Open four times, died Tuesday in Jackson, Mich. He was 74.
• PGA Tour golfer Steve Stricker is evaluating treatment options after an MRI confirmed he has a herniated disc in his neck.
• St. Louis Blues forward Jason Arnott is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove cataracts from his right eye and is expected to be out a week.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis is in stable condition after suffering a heart attack in Kaunas, Lithuania.
• Marco Pappa scored three goals to lift the Chicago Fire to a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake in Sandy, Utah.
• Sporting Kansas City defeated the visiting Columbus Crew 2-1 on an own goal by defender Julius James. Denver Post wire services
