Brown athlete remains critical after assault

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Providence, R.I. • A Brown University basketball player remains in critical condition after suffering what police described as severe head injuries in a weekend assault.

A spokeswoman for Rhode Island Hospital said Tuesday that 21-year-old Joseph Sharkey of Norwood, Mass., is still critical.

Providence police say a man came up to Sharkey early Sunday morning while he was talking to a group of women around Thayer and George streets on the East Side and hit him. Authorities initially said the attack appeared unprovoked, but Deputy Chief Thomas Oates said Tuesday some kind of altercation took place shortly before the attack. The investigation is continuing.

A Brown spokeswoman says the school has reached out to Sharkey's family to offer support.

Sharkey is a sophomore guard who played in high school at Northfield Mount Hermon.