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Bronco said Te'o lied to him:
The Cougars wrapped up their traditional Wednesday practice about an hour ago with a weightlifting session, and coach Bronco Mendenhall addressed the print media for the final time before Saturday’s game at UNLV.
Obviously, the big topic was dismissed safety Shiloah Te’o, and news that broke Wednesday morning that Te’o was arrested in August on suspicion of DUI.
Mendenhall said that Te’o withdrew from school on Wednesday.
Mendenhall said he did not know about the arrest until he received a text message on Saturday night, around midnight.
How did he not know?
“It is pretty simple,” he said. “In August, I heard a rumor that our players might have been involved in an altercation. I addressed our team, and then called in Shiloah and asked him if he was involved, and it was no.
“I trust our players, and when I ask them, if they deny it, then I move forward -- unless there is other evidence that comes forward.
"So we basically moved ahead as a football team at that point, never considering anything else.
"I received a text message this Saturday night, about midnight, that was saying he was cited, Shiloah Te’o was cited for a DUI on that same weekend [of the altercation]. That was the first I had ever considered that he was involved.
"I called him in on Sunday, visited with him, and then it was confirmed yesterday night after practice was the first [time] it had been confirmed that it actually was him. And so that is kind of the trail of events.”
Did anyone else in the program know about it?
“No, and along the way, simply, I wasn’t told the truth by one of my players. And that is probably what is most disturbing to me,” Mendenhall said.
“But he has been held accountable now, and from the minute I found out last night after practice, and it was confirmed, we acted consistently and quickly with what I have done before.
"But really the most damage that was done along the way was just not being told the truth.”
Will this make you more distrustful of players?
“I don’t think I can ever do that. If I ask a player, and look at them right in the eye, and ask if they paritcipated or not, and they deny it -- then unless evidence comes forward, again, I am not going to be a private investigator.
"But I do know, and usually know quickly, and I call them in and I give them a chance to, again, look me right in the eye and tell me the truth, knowing that I hold every player accountable for telling me the truth and if they don’t, it is means for dismissal. I have the right at that point to eliminate them, and unfortunately, if I were to say what weighed more heavily on my decision, it would be not being told the truth.”
I will have more tidbits from practice later.
Obviously, the big topic was dismissed safety Shiloah Te’o, and news that broke Wednesday morning that Te’o was arrested in August on suspicion of DUI.
Mendenhall said that Te’o withdrew from school on Wednesday.
Mendenhall said he did not know about the arrest until he received a text message on Saturday night, around midnight.
How did he not know?
“It is pretty simple,” he said. “In August, I heard a rumor that our players might have been involved in an altercation. I addressed our team, and then called in Shiloah and asked him if he was involved, and it was no.
“I trust our players, and when I ask them, if they deny it, then I move forward -- unless there is other evidence that comes forward.
"So we basically moved ahead as a football team at that point, never considering anything else.
"I received a text message this Saturday night, about midnight, that was saying he was cited, Shiloah Te’o was cited for a DUI on that same weekend [of the altercation]. That was the first I had ever considered that he was involved.
"I called him in on Sunday, visited with him, and then it was confirmed yesterday night after practice was the first [time] it had been confirmed that it actually was him. And so that is kind of the trail of events.”
Did anyone else in the program know about it?
“No, and along the way, simply, I wasn’t told the truth by one of my players. And that is probably what is most disturbing to me,” Mendenhall said.
“But he has been held accountable now, and from the minute I found out last night after practice, and it was confirmed, we acted consistently and quickly with what I have done before.
"But really the most damage that was done along the way was just not being told the truth.”
Will this make you more distrustful of players?
“I don’t think I can ever do that. If I ask a player, and look at them right in the eye, and ask if they paritcipated or not, and they deny it -- then unless evidence comes forward, again, I am not going to be a private investigator.
"But I do know, and usually know quickly, and I call them in and I give them a chance to, again, look me right in the eye and tell me the truth, knowing that I hold every player accountable for telling me the truth and if they don’t, it is means for dismissal. I have the right at that point to eliminate them, and unfortunately, if I were to say what weighed more heavily on my decision, it would be not being told the truth.”
I will have more tidbits from practice later.
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