Niagara Acts Quickly to Punish Players: Niagara has suspended eight players for their involvement in an Aug. 31 incident involving a Purple Eagles baseball player. Several members of the basketball team pulled Jeffrey St. Denis from his car outside a bar and attacked him, leaving him unconscious and bruised on the face and chest. Police have charged Carron Fisher and Stanley Hodge with misdemeanor assault, the most serious of the charges.
Rather than wait for the legal proceedings to continue, Niagara decided to issue the suspensions immediately. Fisher will miss eight games, and Hodge will miss two. Six other players involved in the incident received one- or two-game suspensions. The team will enact the suspensions at different times so that the Purple Eagles have enough players to maintain a manageable rotation. [10/13/06]
