Now, the Larimer County District Attorney's Office has formally accused Gocha of the same offense as the ballers who beat him -- a decision that clearly makes him unhappy.
Gocha was charged with disorderly conduct, a third degree misdemeanor, as were linebacker Mike Orakpo (brother of Washington Redskins star Brian Orakpo) and defensive ends Nordly Capi and Colton Paulhus. Afterward, he posted the following on his Facebook page: "Once again our justice system pulls through on doing a royally shitty job."
As we note below, Gocha and friends John Haley, Dylan Hagan and Alejandro Cuomo were walking home from a late-night gathering earlier this month when a passenger or passengers in an SUV that was driving past shouted out what were described as homophobic slurs. Gocha allegedly yelled back, prompting the vehicle to stop, after which the fight began -- and judging by the damage done to Gocha's face in the full-size photo on view below, the bout was pretty one-sided.
After subsequent investigation, the Fort Collins Police Department determined that a total of ten CSU students and one non-student were involved in the scrap to some degree, with six of them being CSU football players -- although only Orakpo, Capi and Paulhus have been suspended from the squad for their actions. Moreover, the FCPD stresses that words were exchanged by individuals from both groups.
No charges are being pressed against Gocha's companions; the police believe they were trying to break up the fight and protect their buddy, who was knocked unconscious at some point during the altercation.
Weeks later, Gocha is getting another rude awakening. Read our previous coverage below.
Original item, 6:15 a.m. April 10: Over the weekend, four Colorado State University freshman (including Donny Gocha, seen here in a photo posted to his Facebook page) were beaten on the way home from a party. A trio of CSU football players were suspended following the shocking incident. But Mike Orakpo, brother of Washington Redskins all-pro Brian Orakpo, has issued a tweet that implies he's not guilty of wrongdoing.
Here's the tweet from Orakpo's Twitter account:
Mathews 5 Verse 11
— Mike Orakpo (@1_RAK) April 9, 2012
As noted by the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the Biblical verse Orakpo references reads, ''Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.''
There's nothing false about the damage done to Gocha and pals John Haley, Dylan Hagan and Alejandro Cuomo. The four were reportedly returning from a Friday night get-together when passengers from an SUV driving past shouted out homophobic slurs. Gocha is said to have returned verbal fire, after which the men in the vehicle disembarked and began pummeling the quartet.
Evidence of the violence dished out extends beyond the bruised faces of the foursome. Gocha also has a mark on his back that clearly shows a pattern from the sole of a boot.
Story of the incident soon began circulating on social media. On Sunday, for instance, Gocha posted the following photo:
The note accompanying it reads: "I can literally barely see today."In the meantime, CSU Rams coach Jim McElwain issued indefinite suspensions against Orakpo, a linebacker, as well as defensive ends Nordly Capi and Colton Paulhus.
It's the second time in recent weeks that Orakpo and Capi have been in the spotlight for off-the-field matters. The pair got into a fight on St. Patrick's Day; they claimed to be defending a fellow player who was stabbed in an altercation sparked by a group's expulsion from a party.
Clearly, other CSU football players, who have been fighting against thuggery stereotypes for a while now, don't want to be defined by the most recent incident, as Gocha acknowledged in another Facebook post: "Had a bunch of football players just come to my room and apologize for what happens. I agree it shouldn't make the whole team look bad! Only if nothing was done then I'd be upset and that isn't the case. Glad I have so many people who care though."
Page down to see team photos of Orakpo, Capi and Paulhus, followed by a 9News report.Follow and like the Michael Roberts/Westword Facebook page.
More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "James Skelton, Zach Tiedgen, CSU footballers, cited in Fort Collins mega-party (VIDEO)."
