GREELEY, Colo. -- A former Northern Colorado backup punter
accused of stabbing the starter pleaded not guilty Monday to
charges of attempted murder and assault.
Mitch Cozad of Wheatland, Wyo., is accused of leaving a 3- to
5-inch deep gash in Rafael Mendoza's kicking leg during a Sept. 11
ambush. Police have said they believe Cozad stabbed Mendoza in an
attempt to get the starting job, and the case drew quick
comparisons to the assault by Tonya Harding's hit man on Nancy
Kerrigan.
Cozad remains free on $500,000 bail. If convicted, he could face
up to 48 years in prison.
A judge on Monday scheduled the trial for July 30.
Cozad's lawyer, Joseph Gavaldon, said he is open to discussing a
plea agreement with prosecutors.
"We'll see if we're going to trial," Gavaldon said outside the
courtroom. "As of today, we are."
District attorney spokeswoman Jennifer Finch said prosecutors
had no comment.
Cozad appeared in court in a black suit and silver-stripped tie.
He waived his right to a formal arraignment and entered not-guilty
pleas.
He has been kicked off the team and suspended from the
university. Mendoza returned to the team two weeks after the
stabbing and averaged 39.9 yards on 56 punts.
Police said Mendoza was attacked in a dimly lit parking lot at
his apartment complex in Evans, a small town adjacent to Greeley.
Mendoza told police his attacker twice tried to stab him in the
chest, including once when he was lying on his back, according to
Evans police investigator George Roosevelt, who testified at a
January hearing.
Kevin Aussprung, who lived in the same dorm as Cozad, testified
in January that Cozad offered him $100 to take care of his car
while Cozad handled "some business" at an apartment complex.
He testified that 15 to 20 minutes after they arrived, Cozad ran
back to the car and said they had to leave. In a separate
affidavit, Aussprung has said Cozad placed what appeared to be a
knife into a plastic bag after returning to the car.