On Tuesday we learned that Maryland had dismissed starting offensive lineman Justin Lewis for violating unspecified team rules.
Today we learn that, apparently, one of those rules is “thou shalt not (allegedly) punch a bar manager in the face”.
According to Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun, Lewis was charged with second-degree assault following a June 26 incident at a College Park bar/restaurant. From Lewis’ perspective, the incident began as a result of a bar manager eyeballing the lineman’s girl. From the alleged victim’s perspective, he got his ass whooped for no reason at all.The complainant, Alain Parcain, is a manager at RJ Bentley’s, which bills itself as “a University of Maryland tradition.” In a statement of charges filed with the District Court in Prince George’s County, Parcain said he “was assaulted by the defendant, leading to facial trauma, emergency room and dental work. Defendant told witnesses I was ‘looking at his girl.’ ”
Parcain said in the statement that he was not working at the time of the incident, which he said occurred at about 2:30 in the morning on June 26.
Parcain stated: “I did not know the defendant. He came up to me inside the bar, made his accusation and struck me in the face with his fist. This led to two teeth being knocked loose and several lacerations inside my mouth. I required a root canal to repair the tooth.”
Parcain also wrote: I was not looking at other females at the time. Football teammates pointed out that the defendant’s ‘girl’ was not even at the bar...”
Lewis, who would’ve been a redshirt junior this year, started 12 games last season and was penciled in as a starter once again for 2011. Of the 24 games in which he played, Lewis started 15 of them.
Rivals.com rated the Johnsonville, SC, product as a three-star player in the Class of 2008, and pegged him as the No. 61 guard in the country.