One week after signing a national letter of intent with UCLA,
offensive lineman Aaron Meyer alleged, in a taped interview aired
Tuesday night, that he participated in drinking and was offered to
have girls sent to his hotel room while on an official recruiting
trip at the University of Colorado.
Wearing a UCLA cap, Meyer appeared on ESPN’s
“Outside the Lines,” where he alleged that his host
player, Chris Hollis, offered to send girls up to his room.
“They said they had girls that they could send to my
room,” Meyer said. “(The recruits) were like, “˜If
you send them, you send them, but if you don’t, we
won’t be exactly mad at you.'”
Meyer’s allegations come in light of what has become a
troubling situation for Colorado. Three female former students of
CU have filed multiple lawsuits against the university, claiming it
created an environment that led to their alleged rapes at a
football recruiting party in December 2001.
Meyer did not return phone messages, and a UCLA spokesman said
the coaching staff was aware of the situation but would not
comment.
Since the interview, which according to “Outside the
Lines” was held last week, Hollis and CU coach Gary Barnett
have vehemently denied all of the allegations regarding sex.
“Since the coaches and players involved have denied all
allegations, we feel that is comment enough,” CU spokesman
Dave Plati said.
Also, a fellow recruit, who was on the trip with Meyer and
Hollis, has called the allegations false.
“I was with Aaron and Chris all night long, and I can
guarantee you, nothing like that was ever said or offered,”
Reggie Joseph, a wide receiver who eventually signed with CU, told
the Boulder Daily Camera. “For anyone to say that is
horrible. Unless I was sleepwalking the entire night, I know for a
fact it didn’t happen.”
Meyer’s own high school coach, J.T. Curtis of John Curtis
Christian High in River Ridge, La., has spoken out against the
allegations. Curtis did not return messages left for him Tuesday,
but had previously commented to the Boulder Daily Camera.
“When I heard about the things they were saying about
Colorado, I asked him point-blank, “˜Did anything like that
ever happen on your visit?'” Curtis said in the
interview.
“He told me that no way did anyone in any way try to
provide him with girls or alcohol when he was at Colorado. He said
nothing like that ever happened. He was very adamant about
that.”
In the interview, Meyer also said he was taken to the Bustop
Gentleman’s Club, an 18-and-over Boulder strip club, along
with other recruits Hollis hosted.
There, Meyer said he met a stripper, with whom he exchanged
numbers, and arranged to have her come to his room.
When asked if he had oral sex with the stripper, he smiled and
said, “maybe,” adding there was no money exchanged
between the two and that she had no involvement with CU.
Meyer, who is under legal drinking age, also told ESPN that at
the parties he attended he was provided with alcoholic drinks.
“(CU players) were like, “˜Look, if you want to
drink, help yourself.’ It’s not like they were giving
them to you, but they weren’t holding you back.”
Barnett suspended Hollis on Saturday for the season opener due
to the strip club incident. Barnett also suspended three other
players for violating team recruiting policies involving
alcohol.