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Idaho players cited in post-game fight
Posted: Thursday December 31, 1998 05:30 PM
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Two University of Idaho football players were arrested early Thursday during an after-hours drunken melee outside a downtown bar after the Humanitarian Bowl victory over Southern Mississippi. Officers arrested freshman starting nose tackle Wil Beck, 19, of Veradale, Washington, for underage consumption of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing officers. Junior offensive lineman Keith Cosseboom, 22, of Spokane, Washington, also was arrested in connection with the fight that involved some 100 people celebrating the Vandals' 42-35 upset victory. According to the Idaho roster, Cosseboom, at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and 325 pounds, is the largest player on the team. Beck is listed at 6-2, 300 pounds. They had been released from custody by mid-morning. Lt. Jim Tibbs said the incident remained under investigation and other arrests could be made for alcohol-related and other offenses. University of Idaho Athletic Director Mike Bohn refused to speculate about whether any coaches were involved, but he said school officials would "fully, swiftly and completely" investigate the incident. "We have an existing policy that addresses this issue, and we'll go from there," Bohn said. Tibbs said a tire on one police cruiser was slashed during what he described as "a near-riot situation," with people in the crowd throwing bottles and dirt clods. Officers used pepper spray to break up the crowd and no one was hurt. "There were U of I football coaches, players, supporters," Tibbs said. "Everybody in the crowd was highly intoxicated, extremely aggressive." Bohn said the university has "no tolerance, period," for such behavior. The potential punishment "could be numerous things, from loss of scholarship to ineligibility to compete." But he also was skeptical of initial reports about the disturbance. "I believe it's been embellished a great deal at this point," Bohn said.
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