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Details emerge in assault on U. players

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Just wondering . . . | 2:58 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

The one source for the story is the player's father. So is this really what happened? Or is he leaving out details to protect his son?

Just wondering about that . . .

It seems strange that an attack would be this random. There has to be more backstory to this. And perhaps it might just be that they were targeted for being athletes.

But, honestly, it doesn't matter why this occurred.

Whatever happened, a stabbing is never justified. I'm really glad that everyone is going to be OK. And I wish all three players a speedy recovery, and I hope to see all of them on the field next season.

Who will tell? | 4:44 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

there will be a slip up from the other side as the loose lip syndrome will happen. but avoid conflict at all cost as it could have been much worse...finding the perpetrators will not be that hard. Some are already known by the police for this kind of behavior.

RR | 5:48 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I don't think this is a case of the wrong place at the wrong time, it's a case of don't open your mouth to strangers taunting you, and especially don't go approach them to tell them to knock it off, even more especially in a bigger city where people are calling you names. It's terrible to end it in stabbing. The lesson is don't talk to strangers yelling at you. They should have learned this in elementary.

Comments continue below

Ryan | 6:59 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

"(he couldn't recall her last name)"???

Make a phone call and get it! What is this, a high school newspaper?

It's a shame to hear about this senseless violence. I hope the attackers are found. But, you know, that might be a little easier to do if someone would have the GUTS to release their descriptions!

JD | 6:59 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

No one deserves to get stabbed, but it doesn't surprise me the football players (ego) got involved, telling the suspects to shut up and throw a snowball at them. It seems more than just the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe Coach Whit ought to address that instead of make excuses for it.

Good Reporting | 7:46 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

So we get the whole story, not from the police, but a blow by blow report from the father of the victims. I'm sure it is unbiased.

Especially how Paul Jr. stated "Look this is not worth getting into a scuffle over."

Come on, I feel badly for what happended, feel badly for the families, but could we be anymore biased in a story?

jeff | 8:04 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

are you trying to be politically correct by not releasing the "detail" regarding the race of the people in the cars!?

what??? | 8:19 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Could we hear from the police, not just "good ol dad" whose opjectivity is a little suspect, or I should a lot suspect. Ute football players are not exactly known for being "humble, quiet and reserved." Quite the opposite. Whittingham encourages the aggressive, "put it out there" behavior. What happened was horrific but what did these boys expect. Walking on and keeping your mouth shut would have helped. Throwing a snowball and hitting a car is an invitation to a fight. Don't ask me why but it just is among the macho driven men of the world.

Bias? | 8:23 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Wow - I suppose that there might be some zoob witness who would give the trib the real scoop. Cougs, your own biases are so transparent with stupid and silly comments like this.

Hmmmm.... | 8:25 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Why is the father releasing details of the incident, shouldn't that be the police dept. job..????..hmmmm

Keep your mouth shut | 8:25 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

The players technically did nothing wrong by talking some smack and throwing a snowball. Otherwise great kids easily get caught up in that kind of stuff. But there is no doubt that today that can get you cut up or worse. It's a scary world we live in.

Brian | 8:25 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

From the comments it is clear that most of these people have never had anything like this happen to them. When thugs are out looking for a fight it takes nothing much to become their victim. They are cowards who come armed for a fight and outnumber you and surround you so there really is no retreat anyway. Amazing how many people find a way to blame the victim.

Give me a break | 8:26 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I love all you "experts" acting as judge, jury, and executioner in a situation you know nothing about.

This happened at a TEAM-ORGANIZED PARTY!! This was a party thrown for recruits on official visits. The football team organized, sanctioned, and paid for the party. That's why there were so many football players and recruits there - it was mandated by the coaching staff. That's why there was no alcohol.

If there was more to it than what was said in this admittedly lame article, why haven't charges been filed against the players? Why hasn't Whittingham suspended them for even one game? This isn't BYU - the U actually punishes players who break the rules or the law.

Please, by all means keep on judging them - judging others is what Jesus taught us to do, right?

To RR | 8:31 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Ignoring idiots can make them just as mad as saying something to them. In this day and age the right strategy is to dial 911 as soon as someone starts harassing or assaulting you (verbal or otherwise). Being on the phone to the authorities is as intimidating as it gets. It won't always work, but it is the best bet.

And it begins.... | 8:33 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

"Give me..." Thanks for officially making this a BYU vs. Utah issue. Good grief, get a life.

You make me sick | 8:34 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

How can you accuse these guys of wrongdoing? You think he deserved a punctured lung for telling someone to shut up? Stab in the back is just punishment for a snowball? In that case, I don't even want to think what you deserve.

Based on all evidence that has been presented, these kids did nothing wrong. Too many of you in Provo seem to be having a hard time with that. You know, you can be a good person and attend the University of Utah, despite what they taught you in Sunday School.

What? | 8:35 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Uh, Manase Tonga was suspended by BYU for getting a traffic ticket. Don't think that would ever happen at Utah.

Spin Zone | 8:39 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Wow, could this story have been spun by the dad any more?

Re: Give me a break | 8:44 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Give yourself a break and don't feel you have to belittle BYU any chance you get. This article has absolutely nothing to do with that school. You're no expert on what BYU does, so who is judging now?

Rose | 8:51 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I am waiting to read the police report. It sounds to me like the football players were invited to fight and they accepted the challenge. They should have walked away, they are lucky to be alive. I would like to know more about who attached them, it would be nice to have the police out looking for the cowards. Why are the Ute fans screaming at the Cougar fans?

re: Bias | 8:53 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Why make it a BYU-Utah thing. You Ute fans are so combative, hypersensitive and lame.

Just let it go as a weak story.

And yes, I have been involved in altercations with thugs, and have never used or heard someone use the phrase:

"Look this is not worth getting into a scuffle over."

Lame story, lame apologist.

Anonymous | 9:01 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

J.D. are you suggesting the players brought this on themselves and that Ute's coach take a stand on a situation in which few facts are known? Perhaps you might wait until all the details have emerged before making this judgement call.

Cool It | 9:04 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

The players did nothing wrong.

The players were outnumbered, and without weapons when the fight started. Yet some say they were looking for trouble. Yeah right.

The fellas in the cars had weapons and were looking for trouble.

The fact that these athletes are not dead is a testament to their courage and ability.

Get real | 9:08 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

No excuses for the attackers please, macho football players or not, knives and screw drivers because someone yelled back at you is sick and evil. These thugs need to be identified and put away to protect all of society. Of course they were looking for a fight so even if words were not exchanged the attack would have happened. The police won't be a source of information because the investigation is ongoing, they'll get the job done quicker if they don't have to play it out in the media. This would not happen to anyone if we all just stayed home and never went out, what a sad STATE we live in if it has come to that.

Re: JD | 9:08 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Stop defending the attackers. They stabbed two people period.

hey jeff | 9:08 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

what does the race have to do with it. are you a cop the police are the only ones that need all the info. we can get it when they get caught

Whiplash | 9:09 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

C'mon folks. These are good young men who were attacked by some low-life, loser thugs. From a die hard BYU blue fan.... I'm sorry to hear about the attacks and hope the Ute players make a speedy and full recovery. Some people take a fun and healthy rivalry way too far. Plug those holes up and get back in the weight room! I'm looking forward to another 4th and 18 next year.

Give me a break: thanks for the additional information. Wish they would have put that in the original article so people don't have to wonder about the type of party they were leaving. Poor reporting.

Re:What??? | 9:13 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Your a little confused here, your blaming the guys that got stabbed. If they were BYU players I'm sure it would be the other way around. Your a troll.

Look | 9:16 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

""Look this is not worth getting into a scuffle over." ??? What - is this 1955?

Anonymous | 9:17 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Hey 're: bias,' if this isn't a Utah-BYU story (which indeed it isn't), why generalize by saying "you Ute fans are so combative...?" People all over this board and others are actually questioning the character of these young men. The real issue is that they were stabbed and could've been killed. Does it really matter which university they attend or whether they play sports? Instead of looking at this as two Ute players get stabbed, look at is two human beings were stabbed while walking down the street from a party. As for the one player throwing a snowball, yes, that was surely a foolish response to being yelled at. I'm sure he regrets those actions. Still, it doesn't merit being stabbed. Let's just hope Paul recovers fully.

same old same old | 9:19 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

First and foremost hope the players recover quickly and are able to get back to 100 percent; shouldn't get a shank in the back and ribs for mouthing off. I guess its just the times we live in. That being said, it's getting to be extremely difficult for this BYU fan from out of state to read the DN anymore without people hijacking the comment section (ON ANY ARTICLE) and turning it into a Mormon vs non, Utah vs BYU argument. Same old same old. Every day the same bickering. Yawn.

Fritz | 9:23 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Yeah, I think Dad was too biased too. They should have gotten comments from an unrelated person who was not there to see anything. To make it less biased they should not know the victims either. Hey! That would be me. So, here is what really happened. They were walking home and a UFO came down and sucked them up. The "stab wounds" are really from shoddy alien exploratory surgery. They dumped them out and changed their memory to remember the given story. That is the straight, unbiased, uninformed truth.
Come on folks. Get a life. Yes the father might be biased, but the writer had to use the best available sources. It is common to use relatives for information. BYU had nothing to do with this incident, and no I am not from Provo. This was an unfortunate incident, and the cowardly scum who did it are still out there. Don't try to make more out of it than is in the article.

Lame Story | 9:32 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

This was a lame story. We don't know any more details now than we did before. From the few details given, it doesn't sound like the boys were in the wrong place, just there at the wrong time. I'm not going to fault them for the exchange of words that Dad so dutifully filtered for us. I probably would've run my mouth, too, never thinking somebody would stab me over it. There was no alcohol or drugs involved, and the players didn't start. Could they have walked away? Maybe, but from the sounds of things the thugs definitely planned on attacking somebody that night. Shudder to think what would've happened to a group of average size boys that night.

But to "give me a break," really? Are you really going to contend that Bronco, who has suspended some of his boys over caffiene, is more lenient than Kyle, who has ignored a DUI arrest among other things?

Todd | 9:35 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Let's don't forget that 2 of these players were stabbed, and one of them critically. Since when did talking smack, and throwing snowballs warrant a knife attack? I gather from some of the posts that some of you are condoning what took place, and that is appalling, and for this to become a Cougar vs. Ute thing how ridicilous. The reality here is no matter the school affliation or who said and did what to start the incident 2 people were stabbed, and someone could have died.

In the know | 9:38 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Dear Friends, I wish I could convey to you the character and honesty of this family and these young men. They are good people. I know the Kruger family personally. I assure you that any faults you find in this story are not the making of the family. I assure you if any of us were in a similar situation, we would have done as Paul did and try and protect our family---that is what he did, try and protect his brother and sister and friend from a situation that got out of hand. I have been there. Afterwards, one feels terrible, but the consolation is that in the end you were trying to protect loved ones. The Krugers are victims!!! I submit that walking away wasn't an option. So now my good friend lies in a hospital bed while the perpetrators run free.

Re: Cool it | 9:39 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

The players did nothing wrong? Maybe not criminally, but if they keep their egos in check, then this doesn't happen. What they did wrong, was mouth off to a group of thugs. You got to know when to pick your battles.

FANS, knock it off! | 9:44 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

BYU fans quit blaming Ute fans for making it a "BYU-Utah thing," and Ute fans quit bringing BYU into this.

This is nothing more than a tragic event that happened to a couple of guys who didn't deserve this.

Whittingham is doing and saying the right stuff, and what seems to be the truth to the best of his knowledge.

Don't accuse the dad of lying just because you know nothing about how gangsters work, it seems to me that his story is pretty legit.

This is a classic example of what thugs do. They decide they want a fight and they go get into a fight they don't care if it is one sided or not. If you talk they jump you, if you run they jump you, if you call 911 they jump you.

"Wrong place at the wrong time" I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Paul only has one kidney and if he were stabbed there instead of where he was he would be dead.

Quit trying to make this the victims fault.

There is only one group of people to blame this on,

THE PEOPLE THAT DID IT!

DON'T BLAME THIS ON THE VICTIM.

MadMax | 9:47 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

To intimate that the Ute FB players did anything deserving of being attacked with knives and screwdrvers is beyond ridicuous. Further, to insinuate that the party attended was not wholesome is also biased. Words and snow balls do not warrent being attacked by a 'gang' of hooligans on the prowl. These attackers are cowards and bullies.

Bythe way, a description of the 'alleged' attackers and the vehicles involved would help in gathering information leading to their capture and eventual trial. Regardless of the ethnicity of these villans they deserve punsihment, not plea bargaining. An example must be made so that similar conduct is discouraged in the future.

Thank God that the players were not more seriously hurt and they are recovering well. God bless you guys!

Anonymous | 9:51 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

throwing a snowball at a car is battery.
seems to me the players escalated the situation.

Mike | 9:58 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I grew up in a large city and you have to learn to walk away from this type of situation. It's easy to just say that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but you can almost always avoid a fight. Football players, especially the big ones, rarely walk away. It's not in their nature!

What would've happened if one of them had called 911 and promply reported the license plate number of the vehicle as soon as this started to escalate?

That would've probably scared the attackers away!

Fritz and Ryan Replyer | 9:58 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Like you Fritz and Ryan, I think that this article was biased.

Why didn't the DN interview the guys in the car who jumped out and stabbed these fellows? I think then we would know the 'unbiased' truth. How come they didn't interview them?!?

When will these writers learn good journalism?

Spitz | 9:58 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Anonymous, you are right. These board become peppered with insults no matter what the topic. People, say something relevant or don't post at all. We get it - some people love the Utes and some love the Cougars. Who cares?

Anonymous | 10:04 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

"Details emerge..." Should read, "Half truths emerge from Dad..."

"Look this is not worth getting into a scuffle over." Are you joking???

Dick | 10:27 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I'm sure the story we're hearing is somewhat biased. Even so, the victims didn't deserve to be stabbed.

We need to stop this BYU/Utah nonsense. Both schools have athletes that have been in trouble in the past and will in the future. This didn't happen because Whittingham teaches this anymore than the BYU guys who broke down the door of an innocent apartment dwellar and threatened to kill the occpants did that because Mendenhall teaches that kind of behavior.

And, for the guy above talking about Tonga, he was suspended, not for getting a traffic ticket, but for giving false information to a police officer (an assumed name). Mendenhall, or anyone else, doesn't suspend players for a simple speeding violation or failure to stop at a stop sign.

Let's let the police do their duty and wait for an official report before judging any of the victims on this.

From a Cougar Fan | 10:28 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I am a Cougar Fan. Although we all have our feelings about the rivalry, I hate to see anyone get hurt like this senseless act. Whether it was provoked or not, biased or not does not matter. The main fact is that individuals were injured in a senseless manner. My best goes to the all the U players who were injured and hope they have a speedy recovery.

A Parent | 10:33 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I'm old school enough to believe a parent has the responsibility to get out his family's account of what happened.

Mock the paper for its reporting if you will, but the story is about what the Krugers' dad knows about what happened.

Thank goodness that Paul Kruger's injuries were no worse than they are.

It is frightening to me how college athletes can become targets for this kind of senseless violence.

Somebody knows who the attackers were. Turn them in!

Some ignorant posters? | 10:36 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Since when is getting jumped from behind with knives and screwdrivers the victims fault? The thugs jumped these players from behind? For all of you who said you would ignore them and walk away? I guess thats what our country should have done on 9"11". But we were attacked without warning just like these football players were. But you say whatever makes you feel good until it happens to you or a family member and see how you repond. You are a bunch of cowards. Move to France please!

Be decent people | 10:53 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

Wow... From a "true" coug fan, not part of the nerd herd, these comments are dispicable. Anybody in this situation would have been jumped. The fact that it was a few Utes makes no difference. This is scary, and would have been a lot scarier if the football team was outside, for the "thugs". True thugs don't ride around looking to jump someone, these "thugs" are just posers. 2Pac is dead ya'll, time to live and love. Listen to Marley.

Re: A Parent | 10:56 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

These guys were jumped because they were football players, I don't believe that the thugs cared who they were. They were jumped because they mouthed off. That's all it takes for a thug to act. But please, football players are NOT being targeted.

Come on BYU | 11:25 a.m. Jan. 23, 2008

I think it is funny how so many BYU fans were on here talking about how they were so concerned for the players and were praying for them, now you turn around and essentially stab them in the back with your comments about the guys being the provokers. Seems like you take pride that they were provoking....I'd rather have them do that and throw snowballs than to be RM's who lie about there identity! Come on people!!!!

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