Post by CUTEGAL on Oct 29, 2003 9:03:05 GMT -5
Two Longhorns face misdemeanor charges
Student says football players confronted him outside dormitory
By Suzanne Halliburton and Jonathan Osborne
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
For the second time this month, Longhorns football players stand accused of misdemeanor criminal charges.
University of Texas Police have charged backup quarterback Matt Nordgren with criminal mischief and starting cornerback Cedric Griffin with interference with an emergency telephone call after a student accused the pair of confronting him outside a university dormitory last month. Both offenses are Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to a $4,000 fine and one year in jail.
Last week, Austin Police charged the team's starting running back, Cedric Benson, with a Class A misdemeanor of criminal trespassing amid accusations that he forced open a South Austin apartment door earlier this month in search of a stolen television set. Coach Mack Brown suspended Benson for last Saturday's game against Baylor, but he is back with the team this week.
On Tuesday, Brown said he planned to speak with Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds about the new accusations. "I'll get the information that's available -- I don't have any right now -- and go from there," Brown said.
Griffin and Nordgren declined to comment through a team spokesman.
The charges against the players, who are roommates, stem from an incident that occurred about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 21, about four hours after Texas beat Rice 48-7 in Houston.
An arrest warrant affidavit says the incident started when the two football players pulled a Lexus sport utility vehicle behind Jonathan Allen's parked Volkswagen at Jester Center. Allen, a 21-year-old senior majoring in physics, told police he was sitting in the car waiting for a friend when the football players flashed their lights at him, pulled up beside his car and yelled at him to get out.
Griffin and Nordgren are quoted in the affidavit as saying, "You want to get out of the car? You want to take this outside?"
According to the document, Allen, who said Tuesday that he did not know what prompted the altercation, told them he was waiting for a girl, who then arrived and got into his car.
Allen told police that as he began to leave, Nordgren got of the Lexus, which is registered to Nordgren's parents, and kicked the rear of his car, causing at least $900 in damage. When Allen tried calling police, Griffin reached into the Volkswagen and knocked the phone from his hand, according to the court documents. The police affidavit stated that the student believed he was in "fear of imminent assault" from Griffin.
According to the affidavit, Griffin then got into the driver's seat of the Lexus and drove off, picking up Nordgren shortly thereafter.
Arrest warrants for the two were issued Oct. 10. The charges came to light Tuesday when Allen contacted the American-Statesman.
Because the charge is a misdemeanor and investigators consider neither Nordgren nor Griffin a flight risk, University of Texas Police Department Lt. Ron Stalder said the court would issue a summons for the players to appear instead of serving the warrant. A court official said the summons would likely be served this week.
Allen said he did not know Griffin or Nordgren but knew they were UT football players judging by their garb.
"They were both wearing bright orange UT jumpsuits," he said. "I just looked them up on the roster and then looked them up on the directory."
Allen, who filed a report with police following the incident, said his $500 cell phone was severely damaged and that he would have to pay for a rental car while his Volkswagen was being fixed, which could take more than a week. He said he unsuccessfully tried to get Nordgren and Griffin to pay for these expenses before pressing formal charges.
Allen said he has spoken with Nordgren several times since the incident. During one of those conversations, Allen said, Nordgren told him that on the night of the altercation he was upset that he did not see any time on the field hours earlier in the blowout victory over Rice.
Recounting one of the conversations, Allen said Nordgren told him, "We had just got back from the game, and I thought I should've gotten to play."
Griffin, 20, played in the game, making three tackles. He is tied for 12th on the team with 27 tackles.
Nordgren, a 21-year-old third-string quarterback, has played five games, competing 1 of 2 passes for six yards.
*sighs*
Student says football players confronted him outside dormitory
By Suzanne Halliburton and Jonathan Osborne
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
For the second time this month, Longhorns football players stand accused of misdemeanor criminal charges.
University of Texas Police have charged backup quarterback Matt Nordgren with criminal mischief and starting cornerback Cedric Griffin with interference with an emergency telephone call after a student accused the pair of confronting him outside a university dormitory last month. Both offenses are Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to a $4,000 fine and one year in jail.
Last week, Austin Police charged the team's starting running back, Cedric Benson, with a Class A misdemeanor of criminal trespassing amid accusations that he forced open a South Austin apartment door earlier this month in search of a stolen television set. Coach Mack Brown suspended Benson for last Saturday's game against Baylor, but he is back with the team this week.
On Tuesday, Brown said he planned to speak with Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds about the new accusations. "I'll get the information that's available -- I don't have any right now -- and go from there," Brown said.
Griffin and Nordgren declined to comment through a team spokesman.
The charges against the players, who are roommates, stem from an incident that occurred about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 21, about four hours after Texas beat Rice 48-7 in Houston.
An arrest warrant affidavit says the incident started when the two football players pulled a Lexus sport utility vehicle behind Jonathan Allen's parked Volkswagen at Jester Center. Allen, a 21-year-old senior majoring in physics, told police he was sitting in the car waiting for a friend when the football players flashed their lights at him, pulled up beside his car and yelled at him to get out.
Griffin and Nordgren are quoted in the affidavit as saying, "You want to get out of the car? You want to take this outside?"
According to the document, Allen, who said Tuesday that he did not know what prompted the altercation, told them he was waiting for a girl, who then arrived and got into his car.
Allen told police that as he began to leave, Nordgren got of the Lexus, which is registered to Nordgren's parents, and kicked the rear of his car, causing at least $900 in damage. When Allen tried calling police, Griffin reached into the Volkswagen and knocked the phone from his hand, according to the court documents. The police affidavit stated that the student believed he was in "fear of imminent assault" from Griffin.
According to the affidavit, Griffin then got into the driver's seat of the Lexus and drove off, picking up Nordgren shortly thereafter.
Arrest warrants for the two were issued Oct. 10. The charges came to light Tuesday when Allen contacted the American-Statesman.
Because the charge is a misdemeanor and investigators consider neither Nordgren nor Griffin a flight risk, University of Texas Police Department Lt. Ron Stalder said the court would issue a summons for the players to appear instead of serving the warrant. A court official said the summons would likely be served this week.
Allen said he did not know Griffin or Nordgren but knew they were UT football players judging by their garb.
"They were both wearing bright orange UT jumpsuits," he said. "I just looked them up on the roster and then looked them up on the directory."
Allen, who filed a report with police following the incident, said his $500 cell phone was severely damaged and that he would have to pay for a rental car while his Volkswagen was being fixed, which could take more than a week. He said he unsuccessfully tried to get Nordgren and Griffin to pay for these expenses before pressing formal charges.
Allen said he has spoken with Nordgren several times since the incident. During one of those conversations, Allen said, Nordgren told him that on the night of the altercation he was upset that he did not see any time on the field hours earlier in the blowout victory over Rice.
Recounting one of the conversations, Allen said Nordgren told him, "We had just got back from the game, and I thought I should've gotten to play."
Griffin, 20, played in the game, making three tackles. He is tied for 12th on the team with 27 tackles.
Nordgren, a 21-year-old third-string quarterback, has played five games, competing 1 of 2 passes for six yards.
*sighs*
