Columbia, Mo. ? Missouri guard Jason Horton was arrested Friday on assault charges connected to a weekend brawl that left his teammate with a broken jaw.
Horton, 21, faces a charge of third-degree misdemeanor assault on an unidentified 26-year-old man in connection with the early-morning fight at the Athena nightclub in downtown Columbia.
The Jan. 27 incident left senior Stefhon Hannah, the Tigers’ leading scorer the past two seasons and Horton’s starting backcourt mate, with a broken jaw. Hannah is out a minimum of one month and could miss the rest of the season.
Horton, a senior, is one of five players suspended indefinitely by coach Mike Anderson for violating curfew and a team rule against visiting certain bars and nightclubs.
Forwards Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield and Leo Lyons also were suspended, as was Hannah, who remains in his hometown of Chicago as he recovers from surgery. Each is either a starter or a key reserve.
Anderson, in a statement Friday night, said all five players remained suspended indefinitely
Playing with only six scholarship players and two walk-ons, Missouri (12-9, 2-4 Big 12) lost, 66-62, to Nebraska on Wednesday. The Tigers face No. 22 Kansas State (15-4, 5-0) in a home game today.
After the loss to Nebraska, which had been winless in conference play, Anderson said he would reconsider whether to extend the player suspensions. But that was before Horton’s arrest.
The investigation into the fight outside Athena continues, said Capt. Brad Nelson, investigative commander for the Columbia Police Department.
“There are probably going to be additional arrests,” he said.
According to police, the initial investigation was hindered by the reluctance of the estimated 20 to 30 people gathered outside the nightclub to cooperate. Investigators have since spoken to several witnesses, Nelson said, including Brown, Butterfield and Lyons.