Baltimore’s Lewis jailed

NFL star Jamal Lewis has been sentenced to four months in prison and one year on probation after being caught trying to set up a cocaine deal.

The Baltimore running back will also be required to spend two months in an Atlanta halfway house and perform 500 hours of community service after his release. He was also fined $100,000.

Lewis was arrested and charged in February 2004 with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 11lbs (5 kg) of cocaine as well as using a mobile phone to commit a drug felony in 2000.

Facing the possibility of life in prison, Lewis agreed last autumn to the lesser sentence as part of a plea bargain. He will serve his sentence in an Alabama prison.

Lewis came within 40 yards of the NFL’s single-season rushing record in 2003. In 2001, he was suspended for four games after violating the NFL’s substance and alcohol abuse policy for a second time.