While the details are very, very scant at this point in time, there appears to be a very serious legal situation involving a member of the Oregon State football program that head coach Mike Riley will be forced to deal with in the very near future.
By way of Paul Buker of The Oregonian, the Benton County (Or.) Sheriff’s Department website lists a “Castro Mafutaga Masaniai” as having been arrested and booked into their jail at some point Saturday on multiple charges. Castro Masaniai is a defensive tackle for the Beavers, so it’s safe to assume that the two are one and the same. It’s also safe to assume that Masaniai’s future as a Beaver is very much in doubt, based on the severity of the charges he’s facing.
According to the sheriff’s website, Masaniai has been charged with second-degree kidnapping, coercion, disorderly conduct, harassment and second-degree criminal mischief. To place an exclamation point on the severity of the charges, Masaniai’s bail has been set at $177,500.
Buker reported via Twitter that Riley is currently out of town and unavailable for comment. Requests for comment from the school on the situation involving one of their players have gone unanswered.
Needless to say, though, the lineman has been suspended indefinitely, per Buker.
Shoulder issues aside, Masaniai is (was?) being counted on to be a part of the Beavers’ defensive line rotation in 2011.
UPDATED 8:03 p.m. ET: The following is what Cliff Kirkpatrick wrote in his Corvallis Gazette-Times blog regarding the incident allegedly involving Masanai.
“According to reports the incident happened at the downtown McDonalds [sic] restaurant. Masaniai tired [sic] to pull someone out of the restaurant.”
So, there’s that.