UW Badgers football coach Bret Bielema announced Monday at a press conference that he talked to the dean of students office last week about trying to get a fair shake"" for his troubled running back, who is suspended for all of UW's road games this season.
According to Bielema, he met with UW's Dean of Students Lori Berquam and conveyed to her new information he learned about UW running back Lance Smith's alleged battery and disorderly conduct this summer.
Berquam declined comment about her talk with Bielema.
Smith has already missed the game at UNLV and is set to miss games at Illinois, Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota if the suspension stands. The suspension was a result of Smith's actions on July 14, when he allegedly grabbed his girlfriend by the throat after she failed to pay him $10 for cab fare, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint also said Smith put his hands around his girlfriend's throat several more times during the altercation. It also said he pushed her to the ground, called her derogatory slurs and took off with $20 of her money.
Still, despite the facts from the case, Bielema said he has a responsibility to stand up for his player. He called the meeting with Berquam ""a very positive session"" and said he presented her with facts from both before and after the incident. He said it is information that was not present at the time of suspension and could be relevant to reducing the suspension.
""I know this, Lance has handled it very, very well,"" Bielema said at the press conference. ""I know that he made a mistake and he 'fessed up to it, but where that lies right now is determined by the people bigger than me.""
The next court date for Smith is set for Nov. 15.
