A senior linebacker on the Penn State football team said yesterday that an assault involving Penn State football players at a downtown apartment party more than two weeks ago has not distracted the team or affected spring practice at all.

"Everything up there is business as usual," Dan Connor told reporters during a 30-minute teleconference in which he answered questions about spring practice.

Connor did, however, grant that the fight had been "an unfortunate incident," and that the team was waiting to see what might happen as a result.

"It's settling itself out right now," he said. "The one thing we can't do is dwell too much on it and talk about it and make it the big thing of the spring. Football is the most important thing, so that's what we're focusing on right now." He later added that no members of the team were being barred from practice as a result of the incident and subsequent police investigation.

Connor's comments mark the first time anyone from the team has spoken about how the Nittany Lions have been affected by the assault. Police said 11 to 12 men forced their way into a third-floor apartment in Meridian II, 646 E. College Ave. just after midnight on April 1.

Police said they believe the incident at the apartment stemmed from an earlier incident on the corner of High Street and East College Avenue late in the evening of March 31. Offensive comments were made to a woman by at least one of three men, police said. The woman's boyfriend became angry, leading to a physical confrontation among the men, police said.

Several partygoers said they identified Penn State football players to the police, and police later confirmed that they were interviewing members of the team in connection with the incident. The police handed over their findings from the investigation to the Centre County District Attorney's office last week.

Steve Sloane, a Centre County assistant district attorney, has been meeting with the State College Police about the incident, and will likely be handling the case, Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said yesterday. Madeira said that he intends to review the department's findings today and tomorrow, and also meet with Sloane tomorrow to discuss the case.

"Obviously, no determination has been made," Madeira said. He added that, at the appropriate time, his office would give directions to the State College police as to what, if any, charges should be filed.

Few specific details have been released regarding the role the football players may have played in the fight. Connor said that what he's heard from his teammates has conflicted with what he has read in newspapers that have reported on the assault.

"When you hear stories from the guys, it's different from what you read in the papers," Connor said.