UCLA senior defensive tackle CJ Niusulu was suspended
indefinitely for violating a team policy, coach Karl Dorrell
announced after practice Tuesday. Dorrell would not elaborate upon
the reasons or conditions of the suspension, or speculate on the
possibility that Niusulu would be reinstated to the team. “I
don’t know at this point in time if I want to give him an
opportunity or not,” Dorrell said. “It is something
that violated a team rule and team policy. It happened to him
before and it’s just at the point where we had to make a
decision about what we should do in our program and move forward
from this point on.” Niusulu was previously suspended once
last season and this latest, and possibly last, violation only
continues to add to his already erratic tenure at UCLA. In
September of last year, Niusulu was held out of the Bruins’
game against San Diego State for a violation of athletic department
policy. He also served a 120-day jail sentence in 2003 after
pleading guilty to a reduced misdemeanor battery charge in
connection with a fight at a drive-in theater in his hometown of
Barstow. According to published reports, the incident occurred
after employees at the drive-in would not permit Niusulu and his
friends to enter the theater for free, and as he walked away he was
called a derogatory term. Niusulu, UCLA’s most experienced
defensive lineman, was the only holdover at the position from the
2003 season. He started seven of the nine games he played in last
season, amassing 24 tackles (tied for second among the linemen) and
2.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore Brigham Harwell could replace him,
but with the recent arrival of new defensive line coach Thurmond
Moore, the depth chart is up in the air.
MORE PROBLEMS FOR CARTER: Tight end Keith Carter did not
practice today and is suffering from back problems. Dorrell said
there might be complications with his current back problem and
Carter’s prior hip injury from a motorcycle accident, which
caused him to sit out the entire 2003 season. “(Carter) is
contemplating a lot of things right now,” Dorrell said.
“He’s frustrated that he can’t perform at the
level he wants to perform at (due to the injuries) so he has to
work through some issues.”
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore guard Shannon Tevaga will have to sit
out the remainder of spring practice after breaking his hand last
weekend during practice. He will be in a cast for a month but will
not need surgery. Tight end Marcedes Lewis continues to practice
with a red, no-contact jersey after having received stitches in his
mouth for a cut he sustained last Friday in practice.