Greeley, Colo. – Northern Colorado’s president called a mandatory meeting with coaches and athletes for Sunday to underscore school rules after an embarrassing string of off-field problems – including attempted-murder charges against a football player accused of stabbing his competitor for a starting position.
“Student-athletes are more visible,” UNC President Kay Norton said. “What we want to do is impose more stringent rules on ourselves.”
At least three current or former UNC football players face criminal charges or citations. The most serious is the case of Mitch Cozad, a former backup punter accused of stabbing starter Rafael Mendoza in his kicking leg last month.
Police said at the time the motive appeared to be competition for the starting job.
Cozad faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and second-degree assault. He has been suspended from school and the team but has not entered a plea.
Two weeks ago, defensive lineman and co-captain Jacob Carlson was cited for disorderly conduct after a fight. A police report indicated he was punched after telling a Hispanic man he didn’t like Mexicans.
Last weekend, fullback LaGarrett Bliss was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault after a fight. Police said Bliss was angry over text messages that had been sent to his girlfriend’s mobile phone.
Norton said law-enforcement authorities alert university officials to such problems, and the school has more rules in place for student-athletes.
“The extra rules deal with conduct. They actually went into effect when Jay got here,” she said, referring to athletic director Jay Hinrichs, who was hired in August 2004.
She said the rules cover conduct for athletes in all sports.
“Our business is to educate young people, and that means sitting in a room to talk so everybody can fully comprehend it all,” Norton said. “It’s a challenge, but we’ll continue to look what we can do beyond the (student-athlete) handbook.”
