Police: Al Jefferson's girlfriend bit him

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SALT LAKE CITY -- The live-in girlfriend of Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson was arrested in a domestic dispute after authorities say she bit the 6-foot-10, 265-pound player.

Shirley Lewis was booked into Salt Lake County jail late Thursday, records show. She was later released.

Prosecutors were reviewing possible separate charges against Jefferson, Cottonwood Heights police Sgt. Dan Bartlett said Friday.

Jefferson, 26, and Lewis, 38, were having an argument at about 8:45 p.m. Thursday "when she hit him and bit him on the back" in front of her two children, according to a police report. It offered no other details.

Lewis, who was described in jail records as 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, was booked on one charge of domestic assault and one charge of domestic violence in the presence of a child, both misdemeanors.

It wasn't clear if Lewis had an attorney. A message left at a phone number listed under her name was not immediately returned.

At the opening of Jazz training camp Friday, Jefferson waved off the incident as personal and said he was focused on basketball.

Asked about his teammates' reaction, he said, "Teammates is like family. Family is always going to be with you through thick and thin." He declined to take any more questions about the matter.

"It's a fun day," he said. "We got basketball back."

Jazz spokeswoman Linda Luchetti said the team had no information about the incident.

"It's a personal issue regarding a player, and our focus is on basketball. We don't comment on players' personal lives," she said.

Jefferson started all 82 games last season and led the team in scoring with 18.6 points a game. He was due to show up for the opening of Jazz training camp Friday afternoon.

Police said they responded to a call from Jefferson's mansion in the Salt Lake suburb of Cottonwood Heights. Bartlett wouldn't reveal who made the call but said police officers are obligated under Utah law to make at least one arrest in a domestic dispute that turns physical.

Cottonwood Heights prosecutor Mark Eddy didn't return a message Friday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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