General

Pitt Lineman Sheard Suspended Indefinitely After Assault Arrest

Jul 19, 2010, 2:45 PM UTC

â†µâ†µA college defensive lineman can be a lot to handle, even for trained police officers, but it sounds like the cops on hand on Pittsburgh’s South Side on Sunday certainly could have been more aggressive in breaking up a fight between University of Pittsburgh player Jabaal Sheard and another man. While reports of the incident indicate that police tried to break up the fight, the brawl continued to escalate. In fact, Sheard inflicted some of the worst damage after police arrived on the scene.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥The officer said he identified himself as police, ordering the two to stop, but he said Sheard ignored him and continued to beat [Edward] Parker in the face and body.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Other officers arrived and unsuccessfully tried to break up the fight, police said. One officer used a baton on Sheard, who grabbed Parker and threw him through the glass door of the LaFond Gallery, police said.â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥As Parker laid on his back bleeding, police said Sheard continued to hit him, which is when they used pepper spray on both men.â†µâ‡¥

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â†µSheard was eventually arrested and booked on charges of aggravated assault. He's also been suspended indefinitely by the team. Parker sustained lacerations and contusions to his head and face from the fight. While he initially refused to seek medical treatment, his girlfriend later drove him to the hospital, where both he and Sheard were treated.â†µ

â†µâ†µHis absence could be keenly felt by the Panthers, as he has been a key contributor for a rather stout defensive front. He led the team in quarterback hurries and tallied five sacks while starting all of Pitt’s 13 games last season.â†µ

â†µâ†µIn the future, Pittsburgh police may need to go into such altercations with the assumption that not every belligerent athlete is as easy to subdue as Jeff Reed.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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