UCLA Nose Guard Wahler Suspended; Donahue Cites His Newspaper Quotes

Jim Wahler, UCLA’s starting nose guard, has been suspended from the team indefinitely, in part because of comments he made in an article that appeared Thursday in The Times, Coach Terry Donahue said Saturday.

“One of the reasons he was suspended was (because of) his remarks in the newspaper,” Donahue said.

Wahler told The Times last week that he resented being moved last spring to nose guard, the position he played as a freshman, after playing defensive tackle the last 2 seasons.

“I was rated as one of the best tackles in the country, and I wondered why (the UCLA coaches) wanted to mess with me right before my senior year,” Wahler said. “Anybody who says they change positions for the good of the team is full of . . . “Deep inside you wonder, ‘Why are they doing this to me?’ ”

Wahler was not in uniform Saturday for UCLA’s 38-21 win over Oregon State. Sophomore Stacey Elliott started in his place.

Donahue said he will meet this week with Wahler, who is a 3-year starter.

“If he indicates a desire to return to the team and indicates a desire to adhere to the team rules and policies, then he’ll be reinstated,” Donahue said. “If he doesn’t, he won’t.”

Wahler was unavailable for comment.