We’re going to go out on a limb here and guess this is not the way Rich Rodriguez wanted his first spring practice as Arizona’s head football coach to play out.
According to a report from UA’s student newspaper, the Arizona Daily Wildcat, four members of Rodriguez’s program were hit with myriad charges early last Friday morning following an on-campus party gone horribly awry.
Per police reports obtained by the paper, sophomore cornerback Jourdon Grandon, sophomore offensive tackle Fabbians Ebbele and sophomore offensive lineman Eric Bender-Ramsay were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing in the first degree and assault. For good measure, sophomore safety Jared Tevis was arrested on trespassing charges.
Witnesses in attendance stated that Tevis was invited to the party, but the four current/former football players he brought along with him were not. When Tevis and his entourage were asked to leave, one of the players, former UA safety Joshua Robbins, allegedly responded by pushing and then punching a female. Then, the party really went downhill from there, including at least one current player allegedly mistaking at least one woman’s face for a speed bag:The players left after the brawl, but before leaving said, “We will be back with our homies.” A short time later, the players returned “in a group of between 10 and 30,” and a man later identified as sophomore offensive tackle Fabbians Ebbele forcibly entered the home and “began punching everybody he could reach,” according to the report, including the resident who was initially assaulted and her brother.
People at the party told officers the UA players entered the home and began assaulting male members of the party while several women attempted to stop another fight from happening. One woman was pushed up against the wall by Robbins. Robbins continued to push other female guests and residents.
Members of the party identified Grandon after he “punched a female guest in her face with a closed fist and began punching other females in the face.” Tevis was also present during the altercation but none of the victims observed him assaulting anyone.
Robbins was ultimately pulled over by police after being observed speeding away from the scene in his Lincoln Navigator, and was subsequently charged with DUI. Grandon, Ebbele and Tevis were also in the vehicle.
The school has yet to comment on the situation.
Ebbele started 11 games last season, while Grandon started four and was expected to be one of the starters at corner heading into spring practices that started March 1. Bender-Ramsay played in eight games in 2011, and Tevis played mainly on special teams as a walk-on.
(Tip O’ the Cap: ArrestNation.com)