UCLA’s Faoa Pleads Guilty, Apologizes

UCLA defensive end Asi Faoa salvaged his football career by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

He salvaged his honor by standing before a man he had harmed and apologizing and admitting he was at fault.

Faoa, a redshirt sophomore, faced two felony charges stemming from an incident at a fraternity party April 30, 2000. However, a plea agreement was reached with the district attorney and Faoa must serve a sentence of 180 days in county jail after the fall quarter, attend anger management classes, pay restitution and provide a deposition in a pending civil case.

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo will allow him to play this week at Kansas. Faoa was suspended for the opening game of the 2000 season because of the incident, but played Saturday at Alabama.

“If he was guilty of a felony, he would have been removed from the team, but he’s already been punished for this,” Toledo said.

The case took 16 months to resolve because of delays that included a death in the family of Faoa’s attorney, Milton Grimes of Newport Beach.

Faoa originally claimed he punched UCLA student Rodrigo De Zubiria in self defense while dancing in a mosh pit to punk rock music. But the two men stood Tuesday before Judge Robert P. O’Neill and Faoa took responsibility.

“I am so sorry for the damage I caused you,” he said. “That evening in the mosh pit, it was crazy and dark, and somebody hit me. From all I’ve seen and heard, it was not you.

“I hope and pray that you and your family find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

De Zubiria, 23, suffered a brain injury and a fractured jaw. A pre-med student whose father is a physician, he could not speak for a week. It was months, he said, before his ability to read and speak fully returned.

“My future depends on my performance and it’s hard to know if I’ve lost some of my potential,” he said. “I’ll probably never know.”

Friends advised him not to agree to a plea bargain, but De Zubiria said he “didn’t want to ruin anyone’s life. [Faoa] has a chance to play in the NFL and I see no reason to take that away.”

De Zubiria has filed a civil suit against Faoa and the fraternity, an Epsilon Sigma Zeta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, asking for medical expenses, lost earnings and unspecified general and punitive damages. Faoa will give a deposition in the next few days.

Although O’Neill did not require the jail time to be served until May, Faoa said he will request to begin the sentence in January and be put in a work furlough program.

After apologizing in court, Faoa extended his hand to De Zubiria and the men hugged.

“It was nothing rehearsed, it was what he felt,” De Zubiria said. “He’s not trying to hide from it or come up with stories.

“I wanted to know what happened. I have no memory of the event. I feel a lot better about it now.”