GREELEY, Colo.—It’s been a long year for the University of Northern Colorado football team beset by scandal during its first year in Division I-AA.
The scandal that was the focal point ended Thursday with the second-degree conviction of Mitch Cozad, a junior walk-on punter for UNC last fall. He was found guilty of attacking the starting punter, Rafael Mendoza, Sept. 11 in a bid to get the starting job.
Hours after the verdict was read, Mendoza and the team were on the practice field in the blazing sun.
“I guess I just say that I’m glad things are over and done with,” second-year coach Scott Downing said. “Everybody has talked about things that happened a lot. I’m just ready to get on with our season.”
Last year, a senior lineman got cold-cocked in a bar, needed eye surgery and ended up with a disorderly conduct citation after allegedly telling a Hispanic man that he didn’t like Mexicans.
Three assistant football coaches were suspended and another resigned for running an unauthorized practice in the spring that Downing said he knew nothing about.
Two players were also charged with assault after fighting a man in the parking lot.
Those scandals fizzled out, but the one that lingered is now over.
Cozad, who was acquitted of attempted first-degree murder, faces up to 16 years in prison.
Word slowly spread about the verdict, said senior wide receiver Andy Birkel. He found out by watching ESPN and noticing the headline scroll across the bottom of the screen.
Later there was a sense during Thursday afternoons practice, that even in the 96-degree heat, this was a football team that could finally lift a weight from its shoulders.
“Last season, it was hard because we were looked more like the school with a lot of problems,” Mendoza said. “But all the problems from before are gone. Officially today, the problem that we had last September is over. The trial’s over. So we’ve got nothing else to worry about. We’ll just move on from there.”
Downing had spent time at the University of Nebraska, Purdue University, and the University of Wyoming as an assistant before landing the head coaching job at Northern Colorado.
“Last year we laid a foundation and expectations,” Downing said. “The beauty of the sport of football, if you really coach football for what it’s worth, it’s about developing players, people and relationships.”
Those relationships were, at times, frayed. It was difficult to stay entirely focused on football after the stabbing and other scandals. Teammates were also dealing with the November 2006 death of 25-year-old Adam Matthews, who died in his home from a seizure. Matthews’ younger brother, Asa Matthews, was a junior linebacker on the team.
Some players weren’t ready for another season, coaches said, and only 12 seniors are returning from last year’s team that finished 1-10. More than 60 percent of the team’s roster are freshman and sophomores.
“It’s kind of a fresh start. Last year was pretty frustrating for all of us,” Birkel said. “I think we’ve got a lot of new, young good guys. I look for us to be much improved.”
Mendoza didn’t seem to show any ill effects on the field from the wound that penetrated his kicking leg in September. He was punting the ball nearly 50 yards just about every time he kicked during practice.
Mendoza only missed one game after the attack last season—the team’s only win of the season, a 16-13 victory over Texas State. He returned for the final eight games and averaged 39.9 yards per punt, despite not being able to fully extend his leg.
