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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Three days after a weekend altercation left his top scorer with a broken jaw, Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson has suspended five players indefinitely.
In a statement from the university, Anderson declined to indicate the reason for the discipline, calling the infractions a violation of team rules. But the move comes as Columbia police verified Tuesday that several teammates were with senior guard Stefhon Hannah when he was attacked outside the downtown nightclub Athena early Sunday morning. The injury could cause Hannah to miss the rest of the season.
Suspended from Wednesday's home game against Nebraska, and possibly beyond, are senior guard Jason Horton and forwards Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield and Leo Lyons. Butterfield and Brown also are seniors; Lyons is a junior. Each is either a starter or a key reserve.
Hannah, who returned home to Chicago after surgery, also is suspended.
"I am very disappointed in the actions of these young men," Anderson said. "We have defined team rules and when those rules aren't followed, our guys must be held accountable for their actions."
Sgt. Ken Hammond, supervisor of the city's major crimes unit, didn't identify the players who accompanied Hannah, but noted that "there were numerous other players there."
"We have received information that other players were present," he said.
Anderson implemented what he called a "zero-tolerance" policy after junior forward DeMarre Carroll -- his nephew -- was shot in the ankle outside another Columbia nightclub over the summer. Police said Carroll was a bystander trying to break up a fight.
Along with the injuries suffered by Hannah and Carroll, three other Tiger players have been involved in off-court violence or misconduct since Anderson was hired less than two years ago.
One of those was Butterfield, who was arrested on charges of third-degree domestic assault for allegedly punching an ex-girlfriend. He was suspended before the season started but was reinstated after missing one exhibition game and an intrasquad scrimmage.
Butterfield has since pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, and was given a six-month suspended sentence and two years of probation. He also was ordered to attend 20 hours of anger management classes.
Kalen Grimes, the school's leading rebounder and starting center last season, was dismissed from the team after being arrested for hitting a man in the face with the butt of a shotgun in St. Louis in July.
And last February, reserve guard Mike Anderson Jr., the coach's son, was suspended from the team after a drunken-driving arrest but was later reinstated.
Anderson has said the specifics of his disciplinary policy are an internal matter. But in an interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune, junior guard Matt Lawrence elaborated on the new team rules.
According to Lawrence, the team has an 11 p.m. weeknight curfew and a midnight curfew on weekends. The curfew was initially set at 9 p.m. after Carroll's shooting but was extended at the start of the school year. Team rules also forbid players from visiting certain bars or clubs, he said.
The manager of Nikai Mediterranean Grill, which is next to the nightclub, told the AP that Hannah and an unspecified number of teammates ate at the Greek restaurant before the player was attacked.
Police said that 20 to 30 people were outside the nightclub when they arrived after the assault, but that none of the observers provided any details about the fight. Hannah told police he was hit by an unknown object by at least one person he could not identify.
The assault happened just hours after the Tigers returned from a 66-62 victory at Colorado, the team's first road win this season. Hannah had a key steal in the final minutes to seal the win.
Hannah leads the Tigers (12-8, 2-3) in scoring with a 14.7-point average and in assists with 5.1 per game, as well as in steals and minutes played. He was released from University Hospital on Monday after successful surgery to repair his jaw. The junior college transfer also led Missouri in scoring and assists last year.
The scene of his attack is well known to Columbia police, who have received more than 100 calls in the past year about fights, assaults, shots being fired and other disturbances at the downtown bar.
The city is trying to suspend Athena's liquor license because of frequent police calls to the club.
"We've had nothing but problems there since Day One," Hammond said. The club's owner did not return telephone message seeking comment.
Athena, which has been open for about four years, also is a popular hangout for Missouri athletes. Lyons and Missouri football safety William Moore, who are rap musicians, have performed there.
And the club's MySpace Web page has featured a photo showing Butterfield, Lyons, Hannah and teammate Keon Lawrence, as well as former teammate Marcus Watkins, a first-year graduate assistant and son of associate head coach Melvin Watkins. The photo is undated.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
In a statement from the university, Anderson declined to indicate the reason for the discipline, calling the infractions a violation of team rules. But the move comes as Columbia police verified Tuesday that several teammates were with senior guard Stefhon Hannah when he was attacked outside the downtown nightclub Athena early Sunday morning. The injury could cause Hannah to miss the rest of the season.
Suspended from Wednesday's home game against Nebraska, and possibly beyond, are senior guard Jason Horton and forwards Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield and Leo Lyons. Butterfield and Brown also are seniors; Lyons is a junior. Each is either a starter or a key reserve.
Hannah, who returned home to Chicago after surgery, also is suspended.
"I am very disappointed in the actions of these young men," Anderson said. "We have defined team rules and when those rules aren't followed, our guys must be held accountable for their actions."
Sgt. Ken Hammond, supervisor of the city's major crimes unit, didn't identify the players who accompanied Hannah, but noted that "there were numerous other players there."
"We have received information that other players were present," he said.
Anderson implemented what he called a "zero-tolerance" policy after junior forward DeMarre Carroll -- his nephew -- was shot in the ankle outside another Columbia nightclub over the summer. Police said Carroll was a bystander trying to break up a fight.
Along with the injuries suffered by Hannah and Carroll, three other Tiger players have been involved in off-court violence or misconduct since Anderson was hired less than two years ago.
One of those was Butterfield, who was arrested on charges of third-degree domestic assault for allegedly punching an ex-girlfriend. He was suspended before the season started but was reinstated after missing one exhibition game and an intrasquad scrimmage.
Butterfield has since pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, and was given a six-month suspended sentence and two years of probation. He also was ordered to attend 20 hours of anger management classes.
Kalen Grimes, the school's leading rebounder and starting center last season, was dismissed from the team after being arrested for hitting a man in the face with the butt of a shotgun in St. Louis in July.
And last February, reserve guard Mike Anderson Jr., the coach's son, was suspended from the team after a drunken-driving arrest but was later reinstated.
Anderson has said the specifics of his disciplinary policy are an internal matter. But in an interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune, junior guard Matt Lawrence elaborated on the new team rules.
According to Lawrence, the team has an 11 p.m. weeknight curfew and a midnight curfew on weekends. The curfew was initially set at 9 p.m. after Carroll's shooting but was extended at the start of the school year. Team rules also forbid players from visiting certain bars or clubs, he said.
The manager of Nikai Mediterranean Grill, which is next to the nightclub, told the AP that Hannah and an unspecified number of teammates ate at the Greek restaurant before the player was attacked.
Police said that 20 to 30 people were outside the nightclub when they arrived after the assault, but that none of the observers provided any details about the fight. Hannah told police he was hit by an unknown object by at least one person he could not identify.
The assault happened just hours after the Tigers returned from a 66-62 victory at Colorado, the team's first road win this season. Hannah had a key steal in the final minutes to seal the win.
Hannah leads the Tigers (12-8, 2-3) in scoring with a 14.7-point average and in assists with 5.1 per game, as well as in steals and minutes played. He was released from University Hospital on Monday after successful surgery to repair his jaw. The junior college transfer also led Missouri in scoring and assists last year.
The scene of his attack is well known to Columbia police, who have received more than 100 calls in the past year about fights, assaults, shots being fired and other disturbances at the downtown bar.
The city is trying to suspend Athena's liquor license because of frequent police calls to the club.
"We've had nothing but problems there since Day One," Hammond said. The club's owner did not return telephone message seeking comment.
Athena, which has been open for about four years, also is a popular hangout for Missouri athletes. Lyons and Missouri football safety William Moore, who are rap musicians, have performed there.
And the club's MySpace Web page has featured a photo showing Butterfield, Lyons, Hannah and teammate Keon Lawrence, as well as former teammate Marcus Watkins, a first-year graduate assistant and son of associate head coach Melvin Watkins. The photo is undated.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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