Missouri suspends five players

Hannah, Horton, Brown, Butterfield, Lyons penalized

? Three days after a weekend brawl left his top scorer with a broken jaw, Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson has suspended five players indefinitely.

In a statement from the university, Anderson declined to indicate the reason for the discipline, calling the infractions a violation of team rules.

But the move comes as Columbia police verified Tuesday that several teammates were with senior guard Stefhon Hannah when he was attacked outside the downtown nightclub Athena early Sunday morning. The injury could cause Hannah to miss the rest of the season.

Suspended from Wednesday’s home game against Nebraska, and possibly beyond, are senior guard Jason Horton and forwards Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield and Leo Lyons. Butterfield and Brown also are seniors; Lyons is a junior. Each is either a starter or a key reserve.

Hannah, who returned home to Chicago after surgery, also is suspended.

“I am very disappointed in the actions of these young men,” Anderson said. “We have defined team rules and when those rules aren’t followed, our guys must be held accountable for their actions.”

Sgt. Ken Hammond, supervisor of the city’s major crimes unit, didn’t identify the players who accompanied Hannah, but noted that “there were numerous other players there.”

“We have received information that other players were present,” he said.

Anderson implemented what he called a “zero-tolerance” policy after junior forward DeMarre Carroll – his nephew – was shot in the ankle outside another Columbia nightclub over the summer. Police said Carroll was a bystander trying to break up a fight.

Along with the injuries suffered by Hannah and Carroll, three other Tiger players have been involved in off-court violence or misconduct since Anderson was hired less than two years ago.

One of those was Butterfield, who was arrested on charges of third-degree domestic assault for allegedly punching an ex-girlfriend. He was suspended before the season started but was reinstated after missing one exhibition game and an intrasquad scrimmage.

Butterfield has since pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, and was given a six-month suspended sentence and two years of probation.