ASU has some major explaining to do now that this part has come out. Why wasn't he off the team after this incident. The guy was abviously trouble
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Wade had threatened others, ASU officials say
Jeff Metcalfe and Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 29, 2005 12:00 AM
Arizona State University tailback Loren Wade, accused of murdering a former ASU football player, verbally threatened at least two ASU female athletes in the six months since being suspended from the team for an NCAA violation, officials say.
Outgoing ASU Athletic Director Gene Smith said he knew of a threat against gymnast Trisha Dixon in November and learned Monday of a threat against former ASU soccer player Haley van Blommestein that was handled by ASU head football coach Dirk Koetter.
Wade was picking up van Blommestein at a Scottsdale nightclub at 2:30 a.m. Saturday when he shot Brandon Falkner, authorities say. advertisement
Smith and ASU gymnastics coach John Spini said Monday night that there was no gun mentioned in the verbal threat against Dixon on Nov. 24.
Additionally, The Republic learned that on March 6, less than three weeks before the shooting, soccer coach Ray Leone called Koetter about a verbal threat against van Blommestein that included Wade possibly having a gun.
The latter threat came during the weekend that Smith was at Ohio State University to be introduced as that school's new athletic director, which apparently is the reason it was not immediately relayed to Smith.
Dixon said Wade called and threatened her after she told a friend that she had seen him with another girl instead of van Blommestein. That information got to van Blommestein, and Wade learned that Dixon was the source of it, Dixon said. She Dixon said she took the threat to Spini, who contacted Smith and Koetter.
"It was a serious threat," said Dixon, who would not say if it included mention of a gun. "He told me to move from where I was at, that he was going to come and get me. He pretty much threatened my life."
Wade later apologized to Dixon, Spini and Smith, each said.
"All he (Wade) said was 'Stay out of my business,' " Smith said Monday night. "There was no mention of a gun at all. The reality is those aren't signs to say this guy is going to shoot somebody. That's a real stretch."
Spini said: "I felt comfortable because my athlete felt comfortable (after the apologies). Trisha never had another incident.
"She (Dixon) was scared enough to come to me but not scared enough to go to the police. I had to respect her wishes, but I was concerned."
Dixon said part of her motivation for going public with the threat is because of her respect for Falkner.
"I get annoyed with so much focus on Loren," she said. "Brandon was an amazing person. He was one of the few guys you could say was a great guy. . . . "He was not a guy to start anything or any confrontation. That's why this is so shocking. He's not the type of guy to get into arguments."
Leone said that he went to Koetter when some of his players told him there was a problem between Wade and van Blommestein and that Wade might have a gun.
Koetter said he called Wade's mother and asked if she knew of Wade carrying a gun.
"Two hours later, Loren calls back," Koetter said. "He's crying his eyes out. He said he was breaking up with Haley right then. I asked him to put Haley on the phone. I said, 'Haley, this is Coach Koetter, just answer yes or no. Are you in any danger right now?' She said, 'No.' "
Van Blommestein went on to tell Koetter that Wade did not have a gun and that she had never seen him with a gun, Koetter said.
Despite the incidents, Wade was allowed to begin spring practice on March 21. He participated in three practices before the shooting.
"The way he handled it, I thought was perfect," Smith said of Koetter.
Smith's last day at ASU is April 14.
