Pulu pleads guilty to felony second-degree assault, football future uncertain

Former University of Washington defensive end Andru Pulu pled guilty Wednesday to felony second-degree assault in King County Court in connection to an attack on a fellow Husky athlete last month.

The Federal Way High School grad will be sentenced on May 7. According to court records, the range is three to nine months.

Pulu, who played in 12 games as a true freshman last season for the Huskies, was suspended indefinitely from the Washington football team by head coach Steve Sarkisian on March 9. The 6-foot-1, 250-pounder was a backup defensive end and special teams standout. It’s still unknown if Pulu will ever return to the University of Washington football team.

He was expected to compete for one of the starting defensive end spots before being arrested in connection with an assault on a University of Washington soccer player at an off-campus party March 7.

According to a Seattle police report, obtained by the Mirror, the 22-year-old victim told an officer that he was at the party and saw a man, described as Pulu, in a verbal argument with another man. The victim attempted to break up the fight, telling the man, “It’s not that big of a deal.” The suspect then allegedly grabbed the man’s neck and told him, “It is that big of a deal,” according to the report.

Witnesses told police the victim was struck on the left side of his face and knocked to the ground. They also told police the attacker stomped on his right temple, causing him to lose consciousness, according to the report.

The police report said the victim suffered a broken nose and may have a fractured cheekbone. A Seattle Police officer noticed swelling on the left side of his face “and a boot print on his right temple.”

Pulu originally pled not guilty to the assault charges at an arraignment in March and was released on $30,000.

According to the University of Washington’s student newspaper, The Daily, Pulu has received an order of dismissal from the UW.

Pulu was one of 10 true freshmen who saw playing time last fall for Washington. He totaled just two tackles on the season, but his first was a shared sack against Idaho.