If UCLA football player Asi Faoa makes it to the NFL anytime
soon, he will have to pay for it, and the cost will be $100,000.
Faoa must pay this sum to a former UCLA student he assaulted at a
fraternity party more than two years ago if he makes it to the NFL
within three years after he finishes his college career.
The settlement for the civil lawsuit was reached Wednesday
before a trial was to begin in Santa Monica.
“Asi believes he had a right to defend himself and defend
his friend, who he thought was going to be hit, but he didn’t
mean to cause the kind of damage he caused,” said
Milton Grimes, Faoa’s attorney. “In that respect, he
felt the settlement was reasonable in that if he gets some money
someday from the NFL, then he will use some of it to compensate
this young man.”
Rodrigo De Zubiria, 24, suffered a degree of brain damage after
being punched by Faoa at a Lambda Chi Alpha party in April
2000.
“My client wishes Mr. Faoa well, not only because if he
does achieve his goal, my client is compensated. But he hopes Mr.
Faoa can move on now,” said De Zubiria’s attorney, Paul
Zappettini.
De Zubiria will not receive money from Faoa if the fourth-year
junior defensive end fails to sign an NFL contract.
In any event he will receive a non-disclosed sum from Lambda
Chi, which lost its charter at UCLA in January after numerous
violations.
Faoa, 21, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge last
September and was given a 180-day jail sentence. He is due in court
on Sept. 11 and will likely serve the time in the off-season.
Faoa was originally charged with two felony counts of assault. A
felony conviction would have led to his dismissal from the team,
according to a rule put in place by head coach Bob Toledo, who did
suspend Faoa for two games.
Toledo described Faoa as a “pretty good kid,” and
explained the incident by saying “When you’re a big
ol’ guy and you’ve got these little guys trying to be
tough and they know they can maybe get your feathers ruffled, you
respond and make mistakes. You can’t do that. You have to
learn to walk away.”
Toldeo feels with the prospect of having money taken out of his
own pocket Faoa has learned his lesson.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound linebacker is currently listed second on
the team depth chart.
With reports from The Associated Press.