Boulder – Remorseful and thankful, Colorado sophomore linebacker Michael Sipili told reporters Monday he has learned a lot about life in the past few days.
One of the top rookie linebackers in the Big 12 Conference last season with 31 tackles in 12 games, Sipili was suspended indefinitely by CU coach Dan Hawkins last week after being arrested in connection with an off-campus fight in June.
“I learned that players have more at stake than, I guess, regular students out here,” Sipili, listed atop the depth chart at the “Mike” (middle linebacker) position, said after the Monday afternoon practice for veterans. “We have to watch out for things. There are people that will try to bring you down, knowing that you have a lot going for you.”
Defensive linemen Christopher Perri (three games) and Taj Kaynor (one game) also were given suspensions for fighting incidents. All three are allowed to practice despite the suspensions.
“We still don’t know what’s going on (from a legal standpoint), and there is a lot of explaining to do,” Sipili said. He added, “I’m just thankful for the opportunity the coaches are still giving me.”
Hawkins said Marcus Burton, a 6-foot, 245-pound junior, could be a candidate to move from “Will” linebacker to the middle during Sipili’s suspension.
Burton plays the weakside (inside) linebacker position behind senior standout Jordon Dizon. Burton played in nine games last season, including a start against Missouri, before suffering a broken leg.
Moving up to first-team Mike linebacker is R.J. Brown, a 6-1, 225-pound junior from Honolulu. Brown was named special-teams captain by his teammates.
Footnotes
Redshirt freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins thought the offense looked relatively crisp, especially for a first workout. “We have a lot of guys who, when the lights come on, they get going,” he said. … Wide receiver Cameron Ham, a freshman walk-on from Haxtun, suffered a fractured fibula. … Freshman wideout Kendrick Celestine didn’t make the trip from his home in Mamou, La., in time for Monday’s practices, but the head coach did not appear to be upset. “Not many direct flights from Mamou,” Dan Hawkins said.
