Considering Luke Martinez got into a late night bar fight on December 30, it was a little strange that the University of Wyoming waited until Monday to suspend the senior guard.
More details came out regarding the incident on Tuesday, including the news that Martinez was arrested on January 13 on an aggravated assaulted and battery charge, primarily for kicking a man in the face.
It had been thought at first that charges were not pressed after the rumored bar fight, but not only have charges been filed against Martinez, but it was his teammate, sophomore forward Derek Cooke Jr., who knocked the man out with a punch before Martinez further assaulted him. Junior guard Nathan Sobey was also at the scene of the fight according to multiple affidavits given by witnesses.
As if it’s not bad enough that a witness told police that Martinez ran up to an unconscious man laying in the street and kicked him in the face, it’s also being reported that Martinez verbally admitted that he caused “serious bodily injury to the victim knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.”
The senior guard from Bismark, North Dakota was the Cowboys second leading scorer (14.5 points per game), and with these awful details being revealed, you have to think his indefinite suspension may last longer than initially expected.
A UW athletics spokesman contacted Tuesday said the team would have no further comment about Martinez, and they also declined to comment on the involvement of Sobey and Cooke.
If found guilty of aggravated assault and battery, which is a felony, he could face up to 10 years in prison along with monetary damages.
A bright start to the season has quickly turned dark for the Cowboys.
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