UNC's Guards Reinstated

North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge on Thursday reinstated guards Ed Cota and Terrence Newby, charged with misdemeanor assault following a Halloween brawl.

Newby said he and Cota were trying to break up a fight involving their friends and another group. Cota said he did nothing more serious than grab a man's pants leg in an attempt to break up the fight.

"I believe they have been truthful to me and I continue to support them," Guthridge said. "As in most instances of this nature, there are two sides to the story. UNC police have done a thorough job investigating and now we have to let the judicial system deal with the matter...

"Should something develop or other information come forward at a later date, I will take appropriate action."

Cota and Newby sat out two exhibition games and more than a week of practice during their suspensions.

Three alleged victims, all students, contend they were battered and one of them knocked unconscious during at least two different campus fights by a group that included Cota, Newby and the other men charged.

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