former BingU player jumped bail, now signed to a team in Serbia

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_...7-15_serb_thug_signs_basketball_contract.html

The towering Serbian fugitive accused of pummeling a college classmate isn't returning to the U.S. anytime soon - he's signed a contract to play basketball in his homeland.

Miladin Kovacevic, wanted on charges he brutally beat Binghamton University student Bryan Steinhauer on May 4, has inked a deal with KK Vrbas, a nonprofessional squad that competes in a regional Serbian league.

The team "is on his side," captain Bojan Markovic told the Beta news agency, adding that he expects Kovacevic, 21, to show up for the club's first practice session on Aug. 10.

The revelation prompted outrage from Steinhauer's lawyer Irwin Rochman and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has spearheaded the effort to bring Kovacevic back to the U.S.

"To play basketball while Bryan Steinhauer is lying in a hospital bed is the height of callousness and shows that Mr. Kovacevic clearly doesn't understand the severity of his actions," Schumer said.

"He needs to be returned to the United States immediately to fully account for what he has done."

Rochman said he hopes the State Department is "doing everything it can to have this thug returned."

Steinhauer, 22, remains in critical condition more than two months after he was repeatedly punched and stomped on by Kovacevic at a college bar.

The 6-foot-9, 280 pound Kovacevic fled the U.S. on June 9 using an illegally issued passport.

There is an Interpol warrant out for his arrest, and American officials have demanded the hulking suspect be returned to the U.S.

Serbian officials have said their laws prohibit extradition.

Representatives from both countries are continuing to negotiate how to resolve the growing diplomatic crisis.

Kovacevic, a powerfully built forward, was recruited by Binghamton in 2006, but his brief college career was less than stellar.

He averaged only 1.5 points per game in 18 contests in the 2006-07 season.

The coaching staff decided not to renew Kovacevic's scholarship for the following season "due to performance issues," Binghamton spokesman Gail Glover has said.


lol the US can't extradite him or something?