Thursday, February 19, 1998

Jury seated in assault case against ex-Cowboys coach

DALLAS (AP) -- A jury was seated Tuesday in the civil trial of former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, accused of physically and verbally assaulting two men at a hotel.

Opening statements were scheduled for Wednesday before State District Judge Jay Patterson.

Randy Mayas of Dallas and Stephon Boston of Austin accuse Switzer of using racial slurs and punching one of them as they walked through Dallas' Merles Hotel on Oct. 22, 1994.

"Mr. Switzer is a very violent and aggressive man and I think he should be held accountable for his actions," Boston said.

"I'm really looking forward to telling my side of the story here," Mayas said. "I have faith that justice will be served."

Switzer, who resigned as Cowboys coach last month, has denied the accusations. His lawyer, Brad Ghana, called the lawsuit "frivolous" and said the plaintiffs are targeting Switzer because he's a celebrity.

Switzer appeared Monday for a pretrial hearing in the lawsuit.

Patterson ordered the parties into mediation in 1995. But Gahn said Switzer will not settle the lawsuit because it has no merit.

Switzer left the Cowboys following a 6-10 season. The Cowboys last Thursday named Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Chan Gailey to replace him.