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CU Internet postings led to dismissals

B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 31, 2007 at midnight

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BOULDER - An incident that resulted in six members of the University of Colorado track and field team being dismissed from the squad probably will not result in further disciplinary action against them, a school spokesman said Tuesday.

Bronson Hilliard said "the consensus (among CU officials) appears" the matter "is not prosecutable" and will not be forwarded to CU's Office of Judicial Affairs.

The six unidentified athletes posted photos of themselves in mock sexual positions and partying in CU athletic attire on the popular Web site Face book.com.

"The number of incidents that were captured on film and portrayed in Facebook . . . went well beyond putting a wig on or a lampshade on their head and 'TP-ing' the dean's house," Hilliard said. "In some cases, it was offensive and really behavior that is not encouraged at all among our general student population - much less our student-athletes."

The disciplinary action by coach Mark Wetmore was revealed last week during a wide-ranging media briefing by athletic director Mike Bohn, who approved Wetmore's decision to dismiss or suspend the student-athletes involved but did not divulge the reason.

Hilliard said Wetmore acted well within boundaries of CU's "set of standards" for its student-athletes and took action that was "proactive (and) very swift and severe. . . . He had warned his athletes about this kind of conduct."

Had photos been posted on Facebook of student-athletes engaging in nonoffensive behavior, Hilliard said, there would not have been an issue.

"If they're half-clothed and drinking, it's a problem for us," he said.

Hilliard added the disciplinary action against the track team members was not a reaction to "past problems" at the school, a reference to the turmoil in 2004 surrounding CU's football recruiting and a more recent problem in 2005 that resulted in a football player (Clint O'Neal) and track team member (Jackie Zeigle) leaving their respective teams.

O'Neal was suspended and Zeigle quit after posting a menacing, racist Facebook message to one of Zeigle's Hispanic teammates.

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