UCLA’s Lewis Is Suspended After a Fight

Tailback Jermaine Lewis, one of the major components of the UCLA offense, was suspended Tuesday for at least Saturday’s game at Arizona by Coach Bob Toledo for a fight at a weekend party.

Lewis did not attend practice and was not available for comment, but Toledo and teammates said the Bruins’ leading rusher claimed he was provoked or defending himself in the altercation that took place early Sunday morning at an apartment near campus after the win over Washington State at the Rose Bowl. The other participant--who was not identified, but according to the coach is not a UCLA student--filed a report with university police.

Since the incident has also been brought to the attention of school officials, Lewis could face disciplinary action beyond the athletic department if found to be in the wrong. But for now the only penalty is missing the trip to Tucson for Saturday night’s game between the third-ranked Bruins and 10th-ranked Wildcats, a move that makes Keith Brown the starting tailback.

Whether the suspension lasts into next week, as UCLA prepares for Oregon in what appears to be another difficult matchup, depends on the progress of the investigation. Toledo said Lewis will not be reinstated until cleared by police.

“He cried,” Toledo said of Lewis’ reaction Tuesday when told of the action. “He felt bad. It did happen.

“Supposedly, it wasn’t his fault. We’ll see. But I don’t want guys in position to get in fights. . . . That’s not what I want for this program and this university.”

Lewis, whose eight touchdowns put him third in the nation in scoring, has carried in 47% of UCLA’s rushing plays the first three games--not counting quarterback Cade McNown--and is responsible for 49% of its yards on the ground. In his place, as the Bruins play another undefeated team in a game that could greatly determine the outcome of the Pacific 10 race, is Brown, who has 14 carries. DeShaun Foster, the new backup, has 25.

“I haven’t been a starter, DeShaun hasn’t been a starter before, so there’s concern about whether we can get the job done,” Brown said, noting what figures to be a natural reaction. “I think we can.

“This is a big impact on the team. But they know me and DeShaun can do the job.”

Said Foster, whose average of six yards per attempt is better than the 5.1 of Lewis: “I’m going to have to step it up completely. It’s like a whole different game. We were rotating anyway.”

The plan for the Bruins is to treat this like an injury. They recall Karim Abdul-Jabbar being lost one week before the USC game in 1995 because of a sprained ankle, but that was different in that UCLA was forced to juggle other positions for the new depth chart at tailback.

The Toledo policy of suspending players pending investigations also has precedent. Defensive end Damon Smith was suspended for the USC game last season after being involved in an altercation, and then was held out of the starting lineup for the Cotton Bowl as further penalty.