McGill: Guimont-Mota's criminal past should have barred him from Redmen
Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota also accused of uttering threats
McGill University says a player who was arrested on an assault charge Wednesday should have never been invited to join the Redmen football team because of his criminal record.
Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota, 22, was arrested and charged with assault and uttering threats following an incident involving his wife. He was released on bail.
Guimont-Mota is in his third season with the Redmen and is considered the team's star running back.
McGill issued a statement after his arrest announcing he had been suspended by the team.
On Friday, McGill Deputy Provost Ollivier Dyens told CBC News that he was shocked to learn that Guimont-Mota already had an assault conviction for an incident in Quebec City in 2010.
Dyens said he should have never been invited to join the football team, and beyond that, he should have never been admitted to the university.
“That student should not have come to McGill University. We take full responsibility for this and we’ll inquire so that these types of things don’t happen in the future,” Dyens said.
Guimont-Mota, a business management student, was awarded the team's 2013 Dan Pronyk Memorial Trophy for most outstanding offensive player.
Dyens said the university is investigating how Guimont-Mota was allowed to play for the Redmen.
“We want to know who knew what, when and how.”
Redmen's head coach Clint Uttley knew about the conviction. Back in August 2012, he spoke about it openly when Guimont-Mota was recruited from Quebec City.
“I felt to get Luis out of Quebec City would be a good thing, and to surround him with doctors and lawyers and engineers and high school teachers — which all of our other students are — that would be a balancing thing for him and would help him move forward as a person,” Uttley told CBC two years ago.
McGill too hasty, defence lawyer says
The details of the allegations against Guimont-Mota were not released, but his lawyer Steve Hanafi said outside court on Thursday that his client is himself a victim of assault.
Hanafi said his client wants to meet with the university to give his side of story. He also said McGill acted hastily in suspending Guimont-Mota to protect the university’s image without having all of the facts.
He is due back in court in February.
Guimont-Mota is not the first McGill football player to face criminal charges in recent years.
Three Redmen players are accused of sexually assaulting a former Concordia University student in September 2011 and are awaiting trial.