Oregon St. head coach Mike Riley said after practice today that the 3 Beaver football players involved in a brawl early Saturday morning at the Impulse Bar and Grill have been suspended "indefinitely".
The 3 players, Rudolf Fifita, 26, a senior defensive end from Euless, Tesas, Mana Rosa, 21, a junior defensive tackle from Haiku, Hawaii, and Dyllon Kalana Mafi, 20, a junior linebacker from Oakland, California, were all arrested and booked into local jails on felony charges of third degree assault and disorderly conduct, and. Mafi also was charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol and "misrepresenting age by a minor," for using someone else's ID to buy alcohol at the Impulse.
All 3 are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in the Benton County Circuit Court.
UPDATE:
All 3 players were arraigned this afternoon, and released, after spending the weekend in jail. Charges were reduced from 3rd degree felony assault to 4th degree assault, a misdemeanor, and the next court date was set for Jan. 10. Mafi is also [still] charged with using a fake id to obtain entry and alcohol. The players did not enter pleas today.
Additional information released today included an affidavit filed in connection with the charges that identified the other parties. The affidavit states that the players got into an argument with Cody Goller and Cory Hull. The dispute escalated, and the three players allegedly struck the two men with their fists in the bar's restroom. In the report, Officer Michael Withington noted that both victims had visible facial injuries.
Riley Waiting To Talk To Players
Riley was out of town on a recruiting trip over the weekend, and said he had not had a chance to talk to the 3 players involved. He said the suspensions had a good chance of being for a "long time", but Riley is still gathering info. on the matter.
In other practice notes, as the Beavers begin official preparations for the Alamo Bowl on Jan. 29, against Texas, quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz split snaps about evenly, and Riley said he wouldn't settle on a starting quarterback until probably this week of practice is completed.
Oregon St. began installing some of the game plan for the Longhorns, and Riley said that if Fifita misses the game, it will affect the rotation defensively, and that others would have to step up.
Except for the 3 suspended players, and those out for the season with injuries, including special teams specialist Jordan Jenkins and fullback Tyler Anderson, everyone practiced (and Jenkins was on hand). However, second string wide receiver Richard Mullaney was headed to the doctor, about an on-going shoulder problem he has had. A decision about possibly having surgery, and when (before or after the Alamo Bowl game), hasn't been made yet.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com