It’s remarkable when peeing in the fridge isn’t even the worst thing that happens during a burglary of the wrong house, but that’s the case with the charges six Lehigh University football players are facing. The most recent charges, which players were arraigned on in a preliminary hearing Tuesday, are one count of felony trespass for each of those six players, but a seventh player, junior defensive back Brian Githens, was already charged with burglary, simple assault and damage to property in November. From Nick Falsone of The Lehigh Valley Express-Times, here’s what police allege happened in the case:
Police allege that shortly before 3 a.m. Nov 8, [Githens] and the others broke into a home in the 600 block of Pierce Street.
Githens allegedly attacked one of the students living in the home while he was sleeping. He allegedly punched the student repeatedly and also punched holes in the wall of the home. The student suffered a concussion and a busted lip. He was treated at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill for his injuries.
The next day, court records say, Githens admitted the attack to police and told them he and the others were seeking retribution for the assault of a fraternity president. He also admitted targeting the wrong house; the victim had nothing to do with the fraternity president’s assault, records say.
Githens, in his interviews with police, identified the other players as participants in the home invasion, but noted that he was the only one who actually attacked the victim, court records say.
The others just stood by and yelled during the attack, court records say. [Freshman wide receiver Dylan] Parsons also urinated in a refrigerator in the home, the records show, but he is not criminally charged with anything other than trespass.
The Mountain Hawks went 6-5 in the FCS Patriot League this season. But it’s a good thing they have players like Githens, who talked in his official bio about how important academics are to him:
“I chose Lehigh for its superior football program and academic standing. It was a natural fit coming from a high school program that excelled in the parochial division of New Jersey sports and, similarly to Lehigh, maintains a healthy balance between athletics and academics.”
Perhaps he should have opted for a “Retribution House Identification 101” class as part of that academic focus. The quote Parsons (pictured above in a drill with a coach) has in his official bio is also notable:
Why Lehigh? “I love the blend of prestigious athletics and the great tradition of the football team.”
Hopefully urinating in refrigerators doesn’t become part of that great tradition.
