Legal News Dominates

As the UCLA football team struggled to figure out what happened Saturday at the Coliseum, the off-the-field struggles of DeShaun Foster and Cory Paus continued to remain in the forefront.

A legal representative for Foster contacted UCLA athletic officials Monday regarding a possible appeal by the school to restore the eligibility of the senior running back, who was declared ineligible last week for the rest of the season by the NCAA.

Robert C. Berry, a sports law expert in Boston retained by Foster, said he was gathering information from school officials and reviewing the NCAA report that declared Foster ineligible for driving a 2002 Ford Expedition leased by actor-director Eric Laneuville.

“I think it’s completely a flip of the coin at this point,” Berry said of a possible appeal. “The inclination is that DeShaun would like to give it one last try [at being reinstated].”

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo canceled practice Monday, two days after the Bruins lost to USC, 27-0.

Toledo had not reached a decision on the fate of Paus, who did not tell Toledo about two arrests for alcohol-related driving offenses. Toledo found out about them from a reporter last week.

In response, Paus told Toledo that his attorney, David Kestenbaum of Van Nuys, informed him in September that the case regarding the second arrest, June 9 in Los Angeles, would be continued until the end of the football season.

Court documents, however, indicate Paus, 21, pleaded no contest to a drunk-driving charge Aug. 31 and must serve four days in jail.