The off-season has not been to good for college football players in the past few weeks. You can add another player to that list of transgressions.
Deseret News is reporting that Utah defensive tackle Koliniasi Mona Leota has been kicked off the team for attacking his wife and threatening to kill her in front of their children.
The 24-year-old Leota, was charged Wednesday with three felonies and four misdemeanors for allegedly getting angry and punching his wife in the head and face in their Salt Lake City apartment on February 17.
He then told her to go into the bathroom to clean up the blood, according to paperwork filed in 3rd District Court. While his wife was in the bathroom, the 6-foot 4-inch, 278-pound Leota hit her in the head with a curling iron, then wrapped the iron’s cords around his hands and tried to strangle her.
He then allegedly ripped a towel bar from the wall, hit her in the head with it and tried to stab her in the throat with the broken end.
Mona Leota then tried to electrocute his wife in a bathtub full of water with the electrical wires.
Leota is being held on $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
“We will do everything we can to help Niasi and his family get through this situation, but obviously we do not tolerate this kind of behavior,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement.