According to reports, a big fight broke out and cops were called in, at which point they ordered everyone outside and told some people to lie on the ground. At that point, Moala was caught trying to run back into the bar. Police hit the hulking Samoan with resisting and obstructing a police officer (read: he did something the cop didn’t like) and sent him downtown.
Fortunately for Moala, the DA eventually declined to file charges, citing a lack of evidence. The story is newsworthy, however, because Moala is a good bet to be a top pick in the NFL draft next year — he’s the number-one defensive tackle prospect and a top-10 prospect overall for the 2009 draft, according to nfldraftscout.com. If something like this happens a year from now, it could end up costing Moala about 20 spots in the draft, and maybe $15 million in guaranteed money.
Moala was arrested at a spot not far from where another famed USC football player, Todd Marinovich, was busted this past year on meth and resisting charges. In general, USC has had a steady trickle of ugly incidents during the Carroll tenure — from the Justice beef, to the payoff controversy surrounding Reggie Bush, to Mark Sanchez’s sex-assault charge, to corner Eric Wright’s rape charge, and so on. All of this would probably be hard for Pete to swallow, if it wasn’t for all those national championships. Oh well, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, as they say. No points for Moala, but keep an eye on him for Justin Miller award honors at draft time next year.
When he’s not googling “later, Sooner” and “Husker? I just met her!,” Matt Taibbi writes for Rolling Stone. He can be reached atM_Taibbi@yahoo.com.
2008 LEADER BOARD
JIM LEYRITZ (EX-YANKEES) | DUI manslaughter | 90
JEROME MATHIS (TEXANS) | choking pregnant baby-momma | 75
FABIAN WASHINGTON (RAIDERS) | red marks on girlfriend’s neck | 70
ANDY CHRISTENSEN (NEBRASKA) | wantonly grabbing unguarded vagina in bar | 55
JEREMY ELDER (ALABAMA) | late-night stickup | 55
ADAM “PACMAN” JONES (TITANS) | being a menace to peaceful strip-club patrons everywhere | 50
MAURICE SIMMONS (USC) | being the wheel man for an armed Compton mugging | 50
SHAWNE WILLIAMS (PACERS) | harboring an accused first-degree murderer | 50
JOHN STEPHENS (EX-PATRIOTS) | sex-assault fugitive | 48
DAVID CORNACCHIA (FLA. EVERBLADES) | mid-flight assault, head-butting bystanders, exposing wine-shrunken wiener | 46
BRANDON PETTIGREW (OKLAHOMA STATE) | elbowing Stillwater’s finest | 42
JOSH JARBOE (OKLAHOMA) | bringing totally unnecessary .380 handgun to track meet | 40
SCOTT SPIEZIO (CARDINALS) | flipping a car in the OC, staggering away from the scene, going mental at some random citizen | 31
CHANNING CROWDER (DOLPHINS) | leaving the scene, making good early impression on Bill Parcells | 30
DANIEL GRAHAM (BRONCOS) | ambiguous domestic-violence beef; hit a bedpost | 30
JASON HORTON (MISSOURI) | beating up “kitchen help” | 30
TYRONE NESBY (EX-CLIPPERS) | ginormous child-support debt | 30
RICHARD TODD BURGER (EX-JETS) | leg-breaking for Internet gambling site | 28
BRITTON COLQUITT (TENNESSEE) | DUI, hitting a car, hitting tree stump, then walking away from the scene | 28
RYAN O’BYRNE (CANADIENS) | stealing a chick’s purse | 27
XAVIER HICKS (WASHINGTON STATE) | putting rubbing alcohol in roommate’s contact-lens case| 22
DEMARCUS GRANGER (OKLAHOMA) | stealing winter coat — in Arizona; refusing to appear | 21
RANDY NEWSOM (AKRON AEROS) | sold shares in his future earnings in dicey scheme that Ponzi would have admired | 18
GERALD JONES AND AHMAD PAIGE (TENNESSEE) | Cheech and Chong/Up in Smoke impersonation, while in car | 12
SHAUN WHITE (X-TREME SPORTS) | spraying fire extinguisher, acting like the little douchebag he is | 11
MIKHAIL MARINOVICH (SYRACUSE) | breaking into a school equipment room; adding another arrest to the family ledger | 10
DERRICK JONES (OREGON) | operating a less-than-one-ounce “drug house” | 1
KEVIN FAULK (PATRIOTS) | contributing to the cancer-like misery of Patriots fans | 0.5
