BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Five UAB basketball players arrested at
a dance club embarrassed the program and are being disciplined,
coach Mike Davis said Tuesday.
"I am sorry for the embarrassment this has caused the rest of
the team, friends and fans of UAB basketball and the institution,"
Davis said. "Appropriate disciplinary action has been taken, and
we are moving on as a program."
Davis did not disclose how the players were disciplined.
The players, all newcomers to the team, are free on bond.
Early Friday, the players began arguing and fighting among
themselves, said police Sgt. Paul Irwin. Off-duty officers working
at the club called for backup, and several police cars were
dispatched, he added.
The mayhem spilled outside the club. Police said other
basketball players tried to calm their teammates.
The five players are: Edward Berrios, 23, of New York;
Keenan Ellis, 18, of Indianapolis; Walter Sharpe, 21, of Birmingham;
Channing Toney, 21, of Snellville, Ga.; and Robert Vaden, 22, of
Indianapolis.
Davis said Tuesday he supports the Birmingham police "for
handling this situation as they saw fit."
A city jail log showed Toney facing the most serious charge of
physically harassing a police officer. Berrios was charged with
physical harassment and disorderly conduct. Ellis, Sharpe and Vaden
all were charged with disorderly conduct.
Sharpe was picked up by police from Hoover, where there was a
warrant accusing him of failing to appear on another case. Hoover
Police Chief A.C. Roper said Tuesday that Sharpe was charged with
failure to appear on a possession of marijuana charge.