Asi Faoa, a junior football player, will spend 180 days picking
up roadside garbage for the California Department of Transportation
over the next two years instead of doing jail time, a Superior
Court judge ruled Tuesday.
“It was one or the other,” deputy district attorney
Geoffrey Lewin said. “(Faoa) chose to do Caltrans.”
A report to the court on Faoa’s progress will be due in
nine months.
Faoa, 22, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in
September 2001, stemming from an April 2000 incident in which he
punched former student Rodrigo De Zubiria at a Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity party, leaving him with brain damage.
Faoa was originally sentenced to 180 days in jail and expected
to receive work furlough, which would have allowed him to spend
nights in jail and be released during the day. However, the work
furlough program ended because of government budget cuts.
Faoa could not be reached for comment.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pounder, who will contend for the
starting defensive end position next season, agreed last August to
pay $100,000 to De Zubiria if he were to play in the NFL within
three years after his college career.
Faoa was originally charged with two felony counts of assault,
and a felony conviction would have led to his dismissal from the
team, according to a rule put in place by then-head coach Bob
Toledo. Toledo did suspend Faoa for two games.
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Several UCLA football players ran at the Los Angeles
Invitational Indoor Track Meet at the Sports Arena on Saturday.
In the men’s 55-meter run, senior cornerback Joe Hunter
came in at 6.54 seconds, while redshirt freshman wide receiver
Jacques Lazarus ran a 6.80. USC senior cornerback Darrell Rideaux
bested them both, coming in third at 6.25. Incoming freshman wide
receiver Joe Cowan, running for Bellflower St. John Bosco, was a
top finisher in the boy’s 500-yard run, with a time of
1:00.3.
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Redshirt freshman linebacker James Jessen had shoulder surgery
earlier this month, and his status for spring practice is
uncertain. Jessen, who walked on the team last spring, played on
special teams this past season.
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Todd Littlejohn, who was defensive backs coach for the last two
seasons, has accepted a similar position at Syracuse. Gary DeLoach
replaced Littlejohn at UCLA after Karl Dorrell took over as head
coach for the fired Toledo.
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Gabe Crecion, UCLA tight end from 1996-2000, signed Tuesday with
the San Francisco 49ers.