Atlanta Outfielder Gant Breaks Right Leg in Motorbike Accident

Ron Gant, left fielder of the Atlanta Braves, suffered a broken right leg in a motorbike accident Thursday and will be sidelined at least three months.

He underwent 2 1/2 hours of surgery at Piedmont Hospital for a compound fracture Thursday night. The club said the operation on the lower leg was performed by team physicians Joe Chandler and Carl Fackler.

Chandler said Gant will be out at least three months but he predicted a full recovery.

“It is highly unlikely he’ll miss the entire season,” Chandler said.

Club officials did not know details of the accident.

The Braves open spring training in less than three weeks.

Gant, who last season hit .274 with 36 home runs, 117 runs batted in and 26 stolen bases, recently signed a $5.5-million contract for 1994.

The 28-year-old outfielder and a friend were named last Saturday in a lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to have sex with two teen-age girls on Christmas Eve in Victoria, Tex., Gant’s hometown.

Gant and Stephen Gaskin, 27, are also under criminal investigation in connection with the alleged incident with the girls, aged 15 and 16, said George Finley III, the Victoria County district attorney.