4B
Friday, April 14, 1995
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Football player accused of rape
Arkansas freshman guilty of lesser charge
The Associated Press
FAYTETEVILLE, Ark. — An Arkansas football player accused of attempted rape pleaded guilty today to a reduced charge of public sexual misconduct.
DeAnthony Hall, Tuscaloosa, Ala., freshman, was sentenced to one year in the Washington County jail with six months suspended. He also was fined $1,000 under the plea agreement, said Terrie Jones, prosecutor for the case.
Jones said he decided to negotiate a plea because there was a clear case of public
sexual indecency, and the attempted rape charge was pretty shaky after he re-interviewed all of the witnesses.
Before entering his plea, Hall said he was sorry he had gotten involved in the incident at the University of Arkansas athletic residence hall, Jones said. Hall apologized to Circuit Judge William Storey and to children who may have looked up to him.
Hall will begin serving his sentence May 15. after the spring semester ends.
Hall's accuser agreed to the negotiated plea, Jones said.
The Springdale女 contended that Hall forced her to touch him intimately and then tried to force her to perform oral sex on him Dec. 5 in Bud Walton Hall.
The woman was 18 and Hall was 19 at
The woman had gone to the hall with two friends who were dating football team members.
the time.
Women are prohibited from the dormitory, and a student employee running the front desk was fired from his work-study job for allowing the women in.
Hall and five other freshman football players were interviewed by campus police after the incident.
The others were suspended from the team for a short period of time but were not charged.
Jones has said the six athletes questioned by campus police in the matter were Hall, Robert Reed, Norman Nero, Tyrone Henry, Melvin Bradley and DervickHarrell.
Writer calls off Royals fan boycott
The Associated Press
HAINES CITY, Fla. — They didn't think the boycott was a good idea in the first place, so the Kansas City Royals were pleased to hear it was called off.
Columnist Jason Whitlock of The Kansas City Star wrote several columns calling for fans to boycott the home opener April 26 against Baltimore in protest of the way they've been treated. Reportedly, the idea was catching on.
But Whitlock called it off after the Royals announced that all general admission seats would be free for the first weekend and paying customers would get a free soft drink and hot dog.
Whitlock's new call is for players to make some gesture — he did not say anything
specific -- to show they care about the fans.
"I've thought about that," said pitcher Rusty Meech. "I was talking with some guy about that today.
"I think you're going to see some players signing more autographs and talking with more of the fans and trying to win them back."
Designated hitter Bob Hamelin, who was always good about sticking around after games signing autographs, plans to be even better.
"I'm just going to try to do what I did last year, but more of it," Hamlin said.
"I think what the club is doing is a good idea," he said. "A nice gesture. We didn't want them to boycott. It wouldn't have done anyone any good."
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