Lindsey, a defensive end for the Gamecocks who could not play this season because of low grades, was cut early yesterday morning by a man wielding a sharp object, possibly a broken bottle, a police report said. Lindsey was fighting with one of two attackers when his neck was cut, the report said.

Lindsey's father, Billy Lindsey, said his son needed surgery but was to be released from the hospital Sunday, according to a report posted online by The (Columbia) State newspaper.

The elder Lindsey said Jordin Lindsey and his twin, Dustin, also a Gamecocks player, were walking early yesterday morning in Five Points, a neighborhood known for its college bar scene and restaurants.

Two men yelled at the brothers from across a street, but the twins didn't think much about it — until they heard footsteps and Jordin Lindsey was stabbed, Billy Lindsey said.

A phone listing for Billy Lindsey in Mobile, Ala., rang unanswered today, as did an after-hours phone for the Gamecocks' athletic department.

Columbia police spokesman Brick Lewis said authorities were searching for the suspects. "Obviously we're looking for anybody's help in this — anybody who might have witnessed it," he said.