Attar will transfer to Idaho State
By Diamond Leung
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
Audie Attar, who was dismissed from the UCLA football team last month for his participation in an off-campus fight, will transfer to Idaho State. The fifth-year senior linebacker will be eligible to play for the Division I-AA Bengals this season.
“I did want to continue my education at UCLA, but I also wanted the chance to play football at the next level,” he said.
The Iraqi-born Attar was a valuable special teamer who would have been the leading candidate to start at the weakside for UCLA this season. He felt that head coach Bob Toledo’s decision, coming after a season in which two top Bruin players – tailback DeShaun Foster and quarterback Cory Paus – sat out due to rules violations, was premature.
“I was treated differently,” Attar said. “I think (Toledo) is trying to send a message (to the rest of the team), but it’s unfortunate that it had to be me (to get kicked off the team). That just sucks because I’ve given so much to the program for four years.”
Attar declined to go into the specifics of the altercation, but he did say that he was verbally provoked and physically assaulted. No charges have been filed.
The decision to end Attar’s UCLA career, indicated Toledo, was based on a previous incident. Attar had fought with a former UCLA baseball player and was suspended for the 1999 season opener.
Toledo said that Attar would be allowed to remain on scholarship, and Attar will apparently take up the offer. After spending the football season at Idaho State, he hopes to return in January to UCLA to finish his degree, as he only has two quarters of coursework left.
“I value the degree, I love UCLA, and I’ll be a Bruin forever,” Attar said.
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