Colorado assault charges dismissed against football player

Charges against collegiate football player Brock Berglund were dismissed in Colorado in late January.

The third-degree assault charges were initially lodged against him in April of last year after he allegedly hit the side of a man’s head. He took the action against a man who had allegedly been bothering his ex-girlfriend, according to a police report.

The aftermath of his arrest following the incident caused him to be unable to play during his first semester of college football at Kansas University. The fight took place in Colorado while Berglund was home from school. Berglund claimed that the other man pushed him, and then tried to punch him when he failed to push back.

It was widely reported that the essence of Berglund’s defense was that the other man was the aggressor, and that the force of his own push, despite rupturing the other man’s eardrum, was self-defense.

Berglund claimed that his arrest occurred because both his ex-girlfriend and the other man did not like him, so they accused him of the assault.

At first, police lodged charges of assault with a deadly weapon, later dismissing that charge as it developed that the injuries Berglund inflicted on the other man were far less serious than police initially believed.

Ultimately, a deferred prosecution deal was pursued, with Berglund paying restitution for the other man’s medical bills and performing community service.

The impact of the case on his football career was drastic, however. Kansas dropped him from its football team, while also denying a request he made to be released to play for another college. He is planning to appeal that decision.

Source: Yahoo Sports: “Brock Berglund breaks silence after assault case is dismissed,” Graham Watson, Jan. 26, 2012