Three Plead Guilty to Beating Charger Lineman Joe Phillips

Three men pleaded guilty Monday to beating a San Diego Charger defensive lineman in an attack so severe it caused him to miss much of last season.

David James Hanna, 23; Scott Edward Stewart, 25, and Brett James Dost, 22, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury. A plea bargain calls for them to spend one year in jail. Sentencing was set for July 30.

The men admitted attacking Joe Phillips, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound nose tackle. Phillips and a female companion were assaulted in the parking lot of a Mission Beach restaurant early in the morning Sept. 26.

According to testimony, Phillips, 27, was struck with fists and steel-toed boots. He later had to undergo facial surgery.

Phillips signed a one-year contract with the Chargers in April and is expected to resume his starting position.

Thorpe Nolan, Hanna’s attorney, said the defendants fought in self-defense after starting the melee by yelling something at Phillips’ female companion.