Little by little, the news continues to get worse for three UNM football players who were allegedly involved in a brawl at a downtown nightclub early Thanksgiving morning.
The latest episode: Kim Kloeppel, with the Dean of Students, said the office is investigating the incident to determine whether UNM football players breached the University’s Student Code of Conduct in allegedly fighting with members of Lotus Nightlcub’s security staff.
The three players, later identified as football players Julion Conley, Joe Harris and Bryant Williams, are a part of an on-campus fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Kloeppel said the office is also looking to determine if other fraternity members were involved in the scuffle.
“At this time, I don’t have any specific answers as far as what the investigation has involved,” she said, adding that she would have more definitive information later this week.
On top of that, Lotus Nightclub owner Brian Craig is threatening to file a civil complaint against the three players. He said it would have been a different story if his security were fully staffed the night of the incident.
“These guys are punks,” he said about the football players. “My security staff are professional security staff. We know how to handle losers like this.”
An Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman said Monday that Williams and Harris have not been charged in connection with the incident, but will likely be summoned to court in the near future. She said Conley, who was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and engaging in a public affray, will have a court date set soon, but as of Monday it was still pending.
In the meantime, Kloeppel said she will explore whether the three violated the University’s Code of Conduct, which bars students from “actions which have great potential for physically harming the person or property of others, including that of the University.”
The policy says the University can discipline students, “when the offense occurs on University premises … or when the violation occurs off campus.” If found to have violated policies, students face punishment ranging from verbal/written warnings and disciplinary probation to suspension or expulsion,” according to the policy sanctions section.
The early morning Thanksgiving brawl injured at least four Lotus Nighclub security personnel and a go-go dancer.
To date, it’s unclear whether others affiliated with the University were involved.
Security guards at the club said they were outmanned. The Athletics Department said in a statement that Conley, Williams and Harris were downtown with an on-campus fraternity, but didn’t release the name of it. An online search revealed that Conley, Williams and Harris are a part of Kappa Alpha Psi, along with six other individuals, according to the latest roster provided Monday by the Student Activities Center.
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What started as a verbal confrontation quickly escalated after Chris Roybal, the club’s head of security, stopped a member of
Conley’s party from getting in with Conley’s ID into the 21-and-over part of the club. Conley had two legitimate IDs, one from Texas, the other from New Mexico, according to one Lotus security personnel.
In an interview Friday, Richard Bradberry, club manager and security member, said Conley, Williams and Harris tussled with him and Roybal, and they fled shortly before police arrived on the scene. Club surveillance released to local media outlets shows unidentified individuals barricading the club’s doors as other guards raced to aid Roybal, who sustained a gashed lip and facial abrasions.
Speaking with undisguised passion, Craig said he is worried that the incident will negatively affect his business. He said it’s unfortunate that Conley, Williams and Harris might be giving their fraternity a bad reputation.
“They were out together as a fraternity, and they acted as a gang more than a fraternity,” Craig said.
