Pitt Football Star Pleads Guilty To Disorderly Conduct In S. Side Brawl

A star University of Pittsburgh football player accused of beating up a man in the South Side last month appeared in court Wednesday. A judge dropped all of the charges against Jabaal Sheard to summary offenses after he pleaded guilty to to disorderly conduct for a fight last month in which he threw a man through an art gallery's glass door.

According to Channel 11's Alan Jennings who was in the court room, Sheard will now have to write a letter apologizing to Pittsburgh police and pay the medical bills of the victim.

A storefront window was shattered and two suspects were hit with pepper spray as police said they tried to break up a fight involving Sheard along East Carson Street in front of the LaFond Gallery.

An off-duty officer who was alerted to a group of men fighting immediately called for backup. When the officer got to the scene, he said he noticed only two men, Sheard and Edward Parker, fighting.

Sheard, 21, of Hollywood Hills, Fla., is a defensive lineman for Pitt. He has been suspended indefinitely from team activities following his arrest, said Associate Athletic Director E.J. Borghetti.

It was not immediatley clear if Sheard will be taken off suspension following Wednesday's hearing.

The officer said he identified himself as police, ordering the two to stop, but he said Sheard ignored him and continued to beat Parker in the face and body.

Other officers arrived and unsuccessfully tried to break up the fight, police said. One officer used a baton on Sheard, who grabbed Parker and threw him through the glass door of the LaFond Gallery, police said.

As Parker laid on his back bleeding, police said Sheard continued to hit him, which is when they used pepper spray on both men.

Sheard was then placed in handcuffs and arrested without further incident, police said.

Parker suffered multiple lacerations and contusions to his head and face, but he refused to go with paramedics, police said. His girlfriend, however, drove him to a Pittsburgh hospital, where he and Sheard were treated.

Damage to the gallery front door was estimated at $600 to $1,000.

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