WASHINGTON -- Juwan Howard and Chris Webber have not been charged and may yet be completely exonerated in the case of an alleged sexual assault.

Yet the damage done to the image of the Washington Wizards is already more than the front office can stand.

"Quite

Chris Webber, along with teammate Juwan Howard, is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault. (AP)

frankly, I'm angry and disappointed that I'm standing here," general manager Wes Unseld said Tuesday, "because of the lack of judgment that some of our players have used this season that has allowed them to be put into positions of having accusations leveled at them."

Howard and Webber, who have already made appearances on the police blotter in the last 17 months, returned today to the Washington area, where detectives in suburban Maryland want to question them about a complaint filed by a woman early Monday morning following a party at Howard's house.

The Wizards were in Chicago on Tuesday, where they lost 103-85 to the Bulls.

POLICE SPENT TUESDAY INTERVIEWING potential witnesses who attended the party, and both players' homes were searched Monday. The Washington Post, citing unnamed police sources, said drug paraphernalia and clothing were removed from Webber's house, while no drugs were found at Howard's house.

Montgomery County police spokeswoman Ann Evans said Howard and Webber "were in attendance at this party, and they were named, they were implicated by this woman. But to what degree their involvement is, whether they were the assaulters, we don't have a clear picture of it yet."

Police spokesman George Ludington, asked if he could rule anything out, answered, "Rape. There was no rape."

Unseld said he spoke to both players Monday, and that "Chris and Juwan told me that the accusations are false." Webber and Howard, also teammates as part of the "Fab Five" class at the University of Michigan, refused comment during a morning practice and after Tuesday's game in Chicago, although Howard has called the accusations "ludicrous" and ``totally untrue.''

Neither Unseld nor the police said when the two players would be questioned. Neither player's lawyer returned calls seeking comment.

Evans said about 40 people attended the party, which followed the Wizards' defeat of the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon, a big victory in Washington's push to make the playoffs.

POLICE SAID THAT AFTER THE party, a woman called authorities at about 3:45 a.m. and made the complaint. She was then examined at a hospital.

The investigation compounds an already troublesome time for the Wizards, whose season has been marked by underachievement on the court and plenty of trouble off it.

Webber was arrested Jan. 20 by police in Prince George's County, Md., another Washington suburb, and charged with speeding, assaulting a police officer and possession of marijuana. He is awaiting trial.

Howard was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in 1996 after his Mercedes was spotted speeding from a Washington nightclub. The charges were dropped after he agreed to enter an alcohol education program.

Last week, point guard Rod Strickland was ordered to complete a driver's alcohol-awareness program and perform 30 hours of community service for driving while impaired.

Also, early this season, Strickland and forward Tracy Murray got into a fist fight in a Charlotte hotel during a road trip. They were fined $25,000 each, and the team lost its next three games.

Projected to make the playoffs with ease, the Wizards are at the .500 mark -- tied for ninth place and 1½ games out of a postseason spot -- after Tuesday night's loss. Their next game is Thursday, at home to Detroit.