HYATTSVILLE — A manager at a College Park bar and restaurant says Maryland football player Justin Lewis punched him in the face after accusing him of "looking at his girl," according to a charging document obtained Wednesday from a Prince George's County District Court.
Lewis, 21, an offensive lineman who started 12 of 13 games last season, responded to a warrant this week charging him with second-degree assault, according to university officials. Maryland said Tuesday that Lewis has been dropped from the team.
The complainant, Alain Parcan, is a manager at RJ Bentley's, which bills itself as "a University of Maryland tradition." In a statement of charges filed with the court, Parcan 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.'"
Parcan said in the statement that he was not working at the time of the incident, which he said occurred about 2:30 in the morning June 26.
"I did not know the defendant," Parcan stated in the document, dated June 27. "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."
Parcan 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 ..."
Parcan attended Maryland and once worked for the school in media relations for athletics.
Lewis, listed by Maryland at 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, could not be reached at his family's South Carolina home.
Asked for comment, Patricia Lewis, the player's mother, replied Wednesday: "We don't have a side of the story. We weren't there. The only thing we're doing is praying for our son. He'll get beyond this. This is just a bump in the road."
Maryland coach Randy Edsall, in his first season, said in a written statement Tuesday that Lewis — a redshirt sophomore last season — violated team policies "which must be adhered to by all individuals."
Lewis had missed spring practices while recovering from knee surgery. Redshirt sophomore Pete White topped the depth chart at right guard heading into the spring.
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