Though former TCU student Cory Rodgers had recent charges filed against him, he was not reprimanded by the university or the athletics department, said Don Mills, the vice chancellor for Student Affairs.Rodgers, a recent recruit for the Green Bay Packers, was arrested May 26 on charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon and discharging a firearm.
The charges were dropped because the firearm was not fired at anyone, said Kierin Williams, legal assistant to Rodgers’ attorney, Jeff Kearney.
“He used the firearm in self-defense to scare off the mob of people, and not directly at anyone,” Williams said.
Though the charges were dropped, Rodgers was put on deferred adjudication probation, which according to the State Bar of Texas allows the defendant to avoid conviction because the judge is delays any finding of guilt or punishment for as long as the defendant complies with the conditions of supervision, by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office for possession of a firearm in a car without a gun license, Williams said. If Rodgers successfully completes the terms and conditions of probation, no conviction will show up on his record, said a representative at the Kearney Law Firm.
Williams said Rodgers is required to do 80 hours of community service with a youth group after the football season is over.
Because Rodgers is no longer a student, TCU cannot take disciplinary action.
For behavior similar to Rodgers’, athletes, as well as other students who participate in disorderly behavior, can be put on probation, suspended or lose their scholarships for the following year, Mills said.
TCU football players Eric Buchanan and Quentily Harmon were arrested that same night on suspicion of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Their attorney, Ken Link, has been called several times and could not be reached for comment.
“One of the difficulties with being a college athlete is that you are well known,” Mills said.
A month prior to Rodgers’ arrest, TCU football player and Stone Canyon Club promoter Michael DePriest was stunned with a Taser by a Fort Worth police officer in order to break up a fight of about 60 people. DePriest was not arrested, said Lt. Dean Sullivan, the Fort Worth Police Department public information officer.
Dave Hamman, owner of Stone Canyon Club, said DePriest told people he was a bouncer to conceal his identity as a promoter.
Mills said head football coach Gary Patterson tells athletes it is not smart to work at places such as the Stone Canyon Club.
Mark Cohen, athletics media relations director, said that the incident was months ago and the team is looking forward.
He added that the department had no further comment on the incident.
The Fort Worth Police Department was unable to locate any formal written complaint, and the incident was reviewed internally with normal review procedures, Sullivan said. These records are not disclosed to the public under the Texas Open Records Act.