Nebraska left tackle Alex Lewis loses appeal on 45-day jail sentence
A Colorado judge denied an appeal this week from Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis saying the Huskers' left tackle must serve a 45-day jail sentence he received earlier this year after pleading guilty to third degree assault.
Lewis was arrested in Boulder, Colo. on May 11, 2013 for his role in a fight that left an Air Force cadet unconscious. According to the police report, witnesses said Lewis pushed the cadet's head into a brick wall and began punching him when he was on the ground. Former Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb also was arrested for his role in the fight with the cadet.
Lewis played for Colorado in 2011 and 2012 before transferring to Nebraska last spring. He was allowed to participate in spring ball for coach Bo Pelini's program this spring, despite being sentenced to the 45-day term on March 21. The sentence was delayed until after Lewis completed the spring semester in Lincoln, where he first enrolled in classes last fall.
"The (defendant) was given a chance to complete the spring semester," Boulder District Judge Patrick Butler wrote in his ruling as reported by the Daily Camera newspaper. "He should not have registered for summer school knowing of this sentence. His football obligations and civil liability are not priorities for this court."
Pelini made it clear this spring that Lewis' sentence and guilty plea to third degree assault would not prevent him from playing at Nebraska. He told the Lincoln Journal-Star the sentence was "a little bit of a curveball."
"From the kid's standpoint, you deal with the hand you're dealt and make the best of it. I know he'll handle it the right way," Pelini told the paper.
Lewis will be a 22-year-old junior this fall when he takes the field for the Cornhuskers. He was originally a member of Colorado's 2010 recruiting class out of Mountain Pointe High School in Tempe, Ariz. He grayshirted that season and began his college career in 2011.
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