Two Jazz players cited for allegedly lying to police in altercation

Utah Jazz players Robert Whaley and Deron Williams were issued class C misdemeanor citations Wednesday for allegedly lying to police about their identities following a scuffle at a Park City club over the weekend.

The incident occurred about 1:15 a.m. Sunday at Harry O's, 427 S. Main. A 29-year-old man from Boulder, Colo., had apparently picked a fight with both men inside the club, said Park City police Lt. Rick Ryan.

The man, an avid Denver Nuggets fan, apparently was very vocal in expressing his dislike for the Utah Jazz, Ryan said. The argument became heated and at one point the man allegedly threw a beer bottle, striking and fracturing a club employee's arm, he said.

At some point during the confrontation, Whaley cut his hand on either a broken glass or bottle. Details of how that happened were still unclear Wednesday, but Ryan said the broken glass was not used as a weapon by the Nuggets fan.

The Jazz players, the man and others were thrown out of the club, where they continued their scuffle in the street.

When officers arrived, they found seven people "in the middle of Main Street yelling at each other, gesturing at each other and throwing garbage cans," Ryan said.

Officers questioned those involved in the altercation, but Whaley and Williams allegedly gave them false names.

"They used fictitious names and dates of birth when the officers asked for information," Ryan said.

However, while they were sorting out the details, one of the officers overheard one of the players tell someone that he did indeed play for the Jazz. When the officer returned to his office, he pulled up the Utah Jazz Web site on his computer and was able to identify two of those allegedly involved in the incident, Ryan said.

The officer contacted the Jazz organization about what happened. Wednesday morning, Whaley and Williams, along with a couple of other Jazz representatives, voluntarily showed up at the Park City Police Department to take care of the matter.

The players were interviewed by police, cited and then released.

The 29-year-old Colorado man was arrested for investigation of assault. Ryan said the investigation was continuing and additional witnesses needed to be interviewed. He said there could be additional charges against others but he did not believe there would be any further action against the Jazz players.

In fact, he said, the Jazz players would have probably just walked free if they had simply told the truth.

"This all could have been avoided if they told the truth," Ryan said. "We wouldn't have been dealing with it on this level if they hadn't lied to the officers."

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