Spartan senior Demetrious Cox pleads not guilty to assault

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Michigan State University senior defensive back Demetrious Cox has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

The Lansing State Journal reports (http://on.lsj.com/2haCOAg ) Cox is due back in court Jan. 5 for a pretrial hearing after Friday's arraignment.

Court records say he was arrested at 3 a.m. Nov. 24 in East Lansing. He didn't play at Penn State afterward due to what coach Mark Dantonio said was a violation of team rules.

Cox previously told newspaper he'd been ''falsely accused.'' He says he was outside a restaurant when police approached him and said he matched the description of someone who was wanted. He faces up to 93 days in jail if convicted.

Cox, a Pennsylvania native, was disappointed that he couldn't play his final college game in his home state.

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Information from: Lansing State Journal, http://www.lansingstatejournal.com