LINCOLN, Neb. -- The off-field troubles for the Nebraska
football team continue to mount, with two more players arrested
this weekend following a disturbance outside a bar.
Four Cornhuskers now have been arrested since June and a fifth
player, the team's leading returning tackler, was kicked off the
team this month for violating team rules.
The latest problems involve the team's top I-back Dahrran
Diedrick and backup middle linebacker Tony Tata, who both spent
about an hour in jail Saturday night after being charged with disturbing the
peace.
"You cannot be out at midnight standing on the street and
generally have something good happen," coach Frank Solich said
Monday.
Solich said that no decision had been made on the players'
status. He planned to make a determination by the end of the week.
"I'm just trying to get as many facts on it as I can," Solich
said. "In a number of cases we have waited until things have
played out in the court system. I don't know if that will be the
case here."
Diedrick is scheduled to appear in Lancaster County Court on
Sept. 12. Tata is set to appear Sept. 14.
The Huskers open the season Saturday at home against Texas
Christian in the Pigskin Classic.
The arrests add to a preseason that saw the Huskers lose their
top returning defender, linebacker Randy Stella, and led to a
one-game suspension for starting kicker Josh Brown.
Stella, who was second on the team last season in tackles with
58, was kicked off the team this month for undisclosed disciplinary
reasons. Brown was convicted this month of assault for fighting
with a man on a date with his ex-girlfriend. Solich suspended Brown
from the team's opener Saturday.
One of Diedrick's backups, Thunder Collins, was arrested and
charged in June with assaulting his live-in girlfriend, Nebraska
basketball player Shannon Howell. Assault charges against Collins
were dropped this month when he agreed to enter a pretrial
diversion program.
Solich ordered both Brown and Collins to undergo counseling for
anger management.
Solich said he was disappointed with the off-field problems.
"Even though they're all classified as misdemeanors, they're
all disturbing to you," he said. "You'd like to go through a
season without any incidents."
Tata was arrested for disturbing the peace outside a downtown
bar where he was seen arguing with the owner at 12:30 a.m. CT
Sunday.
Diedrick was arrested 18 minutes later after being kicked out of
the same bar following a disturbance. Police said he also was
yelling at the bar owner. After he refused to leave, Diedrick was
arrested for failure to disperse and disturbing the peace.
Both Diedrick and Tata were suspended from the 2000 Fiesta Bowl
after violating team rules in preparation for that game.
| |
|
