Jamal Lewis plea deal could include jail time after season

ATLANTA -- Lawyers for Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis are negotiating a plea deal in his drug conspiracy case that would allow him to serve jail time in the offseason, a source close to the case told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Under a deal being discussed with federal prosecutors, Lewis would serve four to six months -- possibly split between jail and a halfway house -- after the season, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"There would be no jail time that would interfere with his career," the source said.

Any deal must be signed off on by all sides and approved by a federal judge. If that happens, the deal could be completed in the next week, the source said.

"My lawyers will call me and let me know what's going on if something is going on," Lewis said Saturday from the Ravens' practice facility in Owings Mills, Md. "They haven't called me and let me know anything."

Lewis indicated a plea deal is an option.

"That's part of the overall thing," he said when asked if he has discussed a deal with his lawyers. "It could be trial, it could be pleas."

Messages left for two NFL spokesmen were not immediately returned Saturday.

Lewis, 24, is accused of helping broker a cocaine deal for Angelo Jackson, 26, a childhood friend, during conversations with a government informant in Atlanta during the summer of 2000. Both are scheduled to stand trial Nov. 1 -- the middle of the NFL season.

Last year, Lewis became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

He and Jackson are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and using a cell phone in violation of federal law and attempted cocaine possession. They pleaded not guilty, and their lawyers have suggested in court papers that their clients were entrapped by the informant, who they said has a long criminal record.

The deal being discussed is not contingent on Lewis providing testimony against Jackson, the source said, although Lewis may choose to cooperate.