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CU QB Jordan Webb, Ex-Lineman Formally Charged With Assault

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb and former Buffaloes offensive lineman Alexander Lewis were both charged with second-degree assault on Wednesday after prosecutors alleged they knocked a man unconscious in a weekend brawl.

Lewis, who announced Friday that he plans to transfer to Nebraska, also was charged with two counts of misdemeanor harassment.

Police say 22-year-old Lee Bussey was knocked unconscious during a fight with Lewis and Webb near the university that started after Lewis bumped into Bussey at 3 a.m. Saturday. Bussey was disoriented and bleeding from his head when they found him seated, leaning against a garbage bin in an alley, according to a police report.

Lewis' attorney, Donald Brenner, initially said that Bussey accosted Lewis, possibly because Lewis was wearing Cornhuskers attire, but now says Lewis wasn't wearing any Nebraska gear. He said Lewis' status with Nebraska is up in the air and will depend on the outcome of the court case.

Lewis and Webb each faced the judge separately during the hearing.

After the hearing, Brenner wouldn't comment directly about whether Lewis was defending himself during the fight.

"Certainly, he wasn't the aggressor," Brenner said.

Webb's attorney didn't speak after the hearing and neither did Lewis nor Webb.

Witnesses reported that Lewis and Bussey argued at first, and Lewis said Bussey threw a punch at him and missed. According to the police report, Lewis later allegedly shoved Bussey's head into a brick wall, and both Lewis and Webb allegedly pushed him to the ground and punched him.

Alex Lewis
Alex Lewis in court on May 15 (credit: CBS)

Police said Lewis said he and Webb had been bar hopping in Denver to celebrate a friend's graduation before running into Bussey. According to the report, Lewis, who is 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, estimated that he had six glasses of wine, 10 beers and six shots.

Bussey, who is 5-11 and 185 pounds, was taken to Boulder Community Hospital and received stitches but had no memory of the incident.

Webb's attorney, Lou Rubino, said this week that the quarterback's role in the altercation was "non-criminal."

Webb was Colorado's starting quarterback for most of last season, throwing for 1,434 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. The fifth-year senior tore his ACL during spring practice but is hoping to return by late September.

Lewis, a sophomore, was the starting left guard for the 1-11 Buffaloes.

First-year Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre has said that Webb, 21, would be disciplined "according to team rules" if he is found responsible for any misconduct. MacIntyre said it would be up to Nebraska to decide what discipline the 21-year-old Lewis might face.

Webb and Lewis are due back in court June 3 for a hearing on whether the case should proceed to trial.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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