Witnesses say WSU football players assaulted 2 students

A group of Washington State University football players is being blamed for a brutal assault that left one student unconscious and another with a fractured jaw.

Alex Rodriguez, a 21-year-old senior, underwent surgery at Pullman Regional Hospital following the assault at a party early Saturday morning.

Another student received a bloody wound on the back of his head when he was thrown onto a slab of concrete. The student, who did not want his name published, said the group had been causing trouble - prying off pieces of a wooden railing, lighting fireworks among the crowd - and retaliated when he told them to leave.

“All I remember is telling them to leave multiple times,” the student said. “I came to on the ground with police and EMTs over me.”

Witnesses said several men knocked Rodriguez to the ground and repeatedly kicked him in the face, breaking his jaw in several places. Dylan Rollins, a sophomore, attempted to pull him away.

“He was beat up bad,” Rollins said. “There’s blood all over the ground.”

Witnesses provided a list of several football players whom they believe carried out the assaults. The backyard party drew a large a crowd; the assaults were captured on video and shared on Snapchat. (Caption on video was added before it was posted online.)

Police are investigating.

Bill Stevens, WSU’s associate director of athletics, said coaches are aware of the allegations but would not comment further, calling them “a team matter.”

Rodriguez, a resident of the house, remains at the hospital. His roommates said he is awake and alert, but his jaw is wired shut and recovery will take up to six weeks.

A GoFundMe campaign to pay Rodriguez’s medical bills raised nearly $2,000 of an $8,000 goal as of Sunday afternoon.