GREELEY, Colo.-
A former Northern Colorado backup punter accused of stabbing the starter pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of attempted murder and assault.
Mitch Cozad of Wheatland, Wyo., is accused of leaving a 3- to 5-inch deep gash in Rafael Mendoza’s kicking leg during a Sept. 11 ambush. Police have said they believe Cozad stabbed Mendoza in an attempt to get the starting job, and the case drew quick comparisons to the assault by Tonya Harding’s hit man on Nancy Kerrigan.
Cozad remains free on $500,000 bail. If convicted, he could face up to 48 years in prison.
A judge on Monday scheduled the trial for July 30.
Cozad’s lawyer, Joseph Gavaldon, said he is open to discussing a plea agreement with prosecutors.
“We’ll see if we’re going to trial,” Gavaldon said outside the courtroom. “As of today, we are.”
District attorney spokeswoman Jennifer Finch said prosecutors had no comment.
Cozad appeared in court in a black suit and silver-stripped tie. He waived his right to a formal arraignment and entered not-guilty pleas.
He has been kicked off the team and suspended from the university. Mendoza returned to the team two weeks after the stabbing and averaged 39.9 yards on 56 punts.
Police said Mendoza was attacked in a dimly lit parking lot at his apartment complex in Evans, a small town adjacent to Greeley.
Mendoza told police his attacker twice tried to stab him in the chest, including once when he was lying on his back, according to Evans police investigator George Roosevelt, who testified at a January hearing.
Kevin Aussprung, who lived in the same dorm as Cozad, testified in January that Cozad offered him $100 to take care of his car while Cozad handled “some business” at an apartment complex.
He testified that 15 to 20 minutes after they arrived, Cozad ran back to the car and said they had to leave. In a separate affidavit, Aussprung has said Cozad placed what appeared to be a knife into a plastic bag after returning to the car.
