CALIFORNIA, Pa. (AP) – A university whose football players were arrested in an off-campus beating case says it will begin requiring student athletes to report if they’re arrested outside the local community and will adopt other recommendations in a consulting firm’s report.
California University of Pennsylvania also vowed to more closely scrutinize potential transfers from other football programs and to re-examine drug testing policies for athletics.
The changes are among 32 recommendations in a just-completed review of the university’s football program by The Compliance Group of Lenexa, Kansas, which was hired in December.
Six California University of Pennsylvania players have been ordered to stand trial on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and conspiracy following an altercation at an off-campus restaurant on Oct. 30. Prosecutors allege the players beat and stomped on a man and then yelled “Football strong!” as they drove away.
The Division II university, 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, suspended the players and forfeited its next game.
Interim president Geraldine Jones said Tuesday that she will implement the three recommendations immediately and will act on another suggestion that she “become more directly involved” with players.
“Moving forward, I will meet with each of our intercollegiate sports teams, face to face, to emphasize the university’s expectations,” Jones said in a statement.
After the assault arrests, other issues in the football program came to light, including arrests and suspensions of other players and the recruitment of players who left other football programs following arrests.
The university does not anticipate that anyone will lose his or her job over the program turmoil, spokeswoman Christine Kindl said.
“There were no recommendations for that,” she said. “There was some recommendation for perhaps some reassignment of duties.”
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