The early morning bar scene has struck Kansas University’s men’s basketball team again.
KU sophomore guard Rodrick Stewart suffered a gash on the top of his head in a disturbance early Sunday morning at Abe and Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Stewart, a 6-foot-4 guard from Seattle, was hit by some sort of blunt instrument — a “bottle of some type,” according to Lawrence Police Sgt. Michael Monroe — as he was leaving the bar and was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where a doctor administered four staples to the top of his head.
Stewart, Self said, was “feeling fine” Sunday, and Self said the whack to the head shouldn’t keep Stewart from missing any conditioning or individual-workout time.
The incident is in contrast to the serious calf injury sustained by J.R. Giddens outside Moon Bar in a stabbing incident in May that ultimately led to Giddens’ leaving the program.
Various accounts of Stewart’s situation — including a preliminary report from the officer who responded to the call at 1:20 a.m. — do not place blame on Stewart or any other Jayhawks who were at the establishment Sunday morning when a fight broke out near closing time, which is 2 a.m.
Here’s coach Self’s take of the incident: “We are aware that last night at Abe and Jake’s more than one fight broke out inside,” Self said. “All reports we have received indicate Rodrick had no involvement in the altercation other than him being hit over the head while going up the stairs.
“He received four staples to the top of his head and is feeling fine today. Rodrick’s being at Abe and Jake’s did not violate team policies.”
Monroe, reading a preliminary report from the officer who responded to the 1:20 a.m. call, said: “It does not appear that they (KU athletes) were participating in any way in a fight. It was kind of a melee, and from what I have in front of me, they were trying to get out of the way of a fight they were not involved in. They were trying to extricate themselves from the situation, as were a lot of other people.
“I’m sure due to the nature of the incident there will be some follow-up investigation. I don’t think (Stewart) would be able to identify the person who did it.”
Mike Logan, general manager of Abe and Jake’s said: “We had a disturbance at closing time that involved a few individuals. Several other individuals attempted to help break up the disturbance. The police escorted everyone outside when they arrived. To my knowledge, the KU athlete that you are speaking of was not involved in the altercation,” he added, referring to the 21-year-old Stewart.
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Self said he believed most of the Jayhawks were at the establishment at some point Saturday night and/or Sunday morning.
“Abe and Jake’s was 18 to enter and dance, 21 to drink on Saturday,” Logan explained. “There were many KU athletes from all sports in attendance at Abe and Jake’s on Saturday. To my knowledge, Stewart and any other Jayhawks were not involved in the disturbance.”
Lawrence Police Capt. Ray Urbanek said no arrests were made after police were called to a fight inside the bar between 1 and 2 a.m. He did not say who was involved in the fight.
Two individuals in the bar near closing time gave versions of what happened — versions that also did not accuse any Jayhawks of wrongdoing.
A student who referred to herself as Danielle from Colorado said a large group of individuals dancing in a “mosh pit” became angry when informed the night’s last song was about to play. She said Jayhawks Darnell Jackson and C.J. Giles were serving as judges at a dance contest. No KU players were in the mosh pit, she said.
She said, “Guys in the mosh pit started pushing and shoving. They said (on sound system) everybody had to leave. All the basketball players were trying to leave out the back door, and the guys that were fighting ran after them. Everybody was blocking the stairs.
“Darnell and C.J. … were trying to go out the back door up the stairs, and they couldn’t get up the stairs,” she added, noting they wanted to exit quickly.
Another student, Ashley from Missouri, who also refused to give her last name, said: “I don’t see how it’s possible to be their fault,” she said of KU players. “They were on the stage trying to leave out the back door by themselves. They were trying to get out of the way.
“I saw them on stage when somebody said it was last call for alcohol. It’s not possible for them to be in on the fight when they were on stage.”
Self declined to talk about any new disciplinary policies in the wake of the latest incident or since the Moon Bar incident.
“I won’t,” Self said, sticking to his policy of not discussing specific team rules. “Nobody has broken any policies.”
KU assistant Kurtis Townsend was at the hospital when Stewart was receiving his staples. Townsend said he received a phone call from ex-Jayhawks Moulaye Niang and Aaron Miles in the early morning hours informing him of the incident. Townsend arrived at the hospital at 1:45 a.m. and left with Stewart at 3:15.
“He was fine. He had a little cut on the top of his head. They stitched it up, and he’s fine,” Townsend said of Stewart, who one witness said was put on a stretcher. “I don’t know if he got it falling down or what. According to what was told to me, it got crazy at the end, and he happened to be there.”
Miles, who was in town visiting his girlfriend, had no comment. Stewart and Niang were unavailable for comment.