EUGENE, Ore. - University of Oregon placekicker Rob Beard has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge and been placed on probation for his role in a Jan. 24 street fight that left him seriously injured.
Lane County District Attorney Alex Gardner said at Beard's sentencing Friday that the 19-year-old was so drunk he doesn't remember shoving a woman to the ground before he was beaten unconscious by two men who intervened on the woman's behalf.
Beard, of Fullerton, Calif., was taken to a hospital where he had surgery after suffering a broken nose and other facial injuries.
Beard, who originally faced three misdemeanors including fourth-degree assault, pleaded guilty to one count of physical harassment, The Register-Guard reported.
Judge Maurice Merten asked Beard if he submitted his victim to "offensive physical contact."
"Yes, I did," Beard said.
Merten then sentenced Beard to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Also sentenced Friday were the two men who fought with Beard. Kirby Hawkins, 19, or Portland, and Maurice Peterson, 20, of Pendleton, each pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and will serve 18 months probation. Both were initially charged with second-degree assault.
Merten also ordered the two to pay approximately $40,000 to cover Beard's medical bills.
Beard was the Ducks' kickoff specialist during the 2009 season, in which Oregon won the Pac-10 title and went to the Rose Bowl, losing to Ohio State. He made 83 kickoffs in the regular season with 10 touchbacks.
He remains on Oregon's active roster, and the athletic department will not announce any discipline short of a suspension or dismissal, spokesman Dave Williford said Friday.
Gardner said the plea deals were fair. He said Hawkins and Peterson felt justified in retaliating against a highly intoxicated Beard after he pushed down the 19-year-old woman, a friend of theirs who weighs about 90 pounds and suffered scrapes in the incident.
"They reacted as many young men would," Gardner said. "They thought, 'This guy deserves a knuckle sandwich,' and Mr. Beard got one."
Beard was among several drunk young men involved in a series of confrontations near the university campus that night, Gardner said.
Mike Bowlin, a fellow placekicker who left the football team and withdrew from the university last month, also was in the fight and could still face criminal charges, the district attorney said.
The Ducks have been plagued by run-ins with the law this year.
Running back LaMichael James faces five misdemeanor charges after a 22-year-old woman alleged he choked her and pushed her down last month during a confrontation outside his apartment.
Linebacker Kiko Alonso pleaded not guilty Thursday to drunken-driving charges in Eugene Municipal Court. Oregon coach Chip Kelly suspended Alonso, 19, for the entire 2010 season after learning of his arrest last month.
Kelly dismissed sophomore defensive end Matt Simms from the team after Eugene police cited him on assault charges. Simms was ordered to perform community service after pleading guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of physical harassment for striking a man he believed took part in Beard's beating. The victim denied any involvement.
