Webber pleads not guilty to charges of lying

DETROIT -- NBA All-Star Chris Webber pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges of obstructing justice and lying to a grand jury about his dealings with a University of Michigan booster.\nThe booster, retired autoworker Ed Martin, says he lent Webber $280,000 while the basketball star played in high school and at Michigan. Webber has denied receiving large amounts of money from Martin.\nThe 29-year-old Webber was a member of the "Fab Five" in the early 1990s, when the Wolverines went to two NCAA title games. He is starting the second year of a seven-year, $123 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.\nWebber spoke only once at Wednesday's hearing, saying "yes" when the judge asked if he understood the charges. His lawyer, Steven Fishman of Detroit, said his client pleaded innocent.\nWebber was released on a $10,000 bond and a pretrial conference was scheduled for Sept. 26. Webber and Fishman left the federal courthouse in downtown Detroit without speaking to reporters.\nWebber was indicted Monday along with his father and his aunt. They did not appear at Wednesday's hearing. Arraignment dates have not yet been set for Webber's father, Mayce Webber Jr., and his aunt, Charlene Johnson.\nIn Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, Webber said he intended to clear his name and insisted he was misled by Martin, who "befriended kids like myself, preying on our naivete."\n"I will fight this case to the end, and I feel that I will be vindicated," Webber said.