TCU coach Patterson: ‘Facts will come out’ on player arrests

TCU coach Gary Patterson said defensive end Mike Tuaua, arrested Monday on robbery and assault charges, was suspended following the incident, but he defended the player to reporters.

“I’m just going to tell you something right now when it comes to Mike Tuaua,” Patterson said, speaking at his weekly press conference. “I named him captain, but outside non-football outside, in our community, with kids, he’s the most-liked kid we have on our team besides Trevone Boykin.”

Patterson said “facts will come out,” but did not elaborate on what he meant and how it relates to Tuaua or receiver Andre Petties-Wilson, also arrested Monday.

“I’m just telling you, as far as just a person, I’m not going to let you say this kid’s a bad person,” Patterson said. “If he made a mistake, he made a mistake. OK?”

In addition, Patterson said Tuaua has had a ligament injury and played hurt against Minnesota on Sept. 3. The incident involving him and Petties-Wilson happened the next night.

“My job is to protect the university. My job is to protect the football team. My job is to also be a father to my players,” Patterson said. “And if they screw up, they screw up. And in my time at TCU, 18 years, we’ve had a few of those. But not as many as others. But we’ve always handled it the same way.”

Tuaua, 22, and Wilson, 19, are accused of beating up fellow students and stealing their Keystone Light beer. They face charges of robbery with bodily injury, which is a second-degree felony. Bail for each was set at $15,000. They had been released on bond from the Fort Worth jail Monday night.

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