Off-season troubles enlighten Paus

By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter

Cory Paus has had a strenuous off-season. Like the rest of
his teammates on the UCLA football team, Paus put in some hard time
at the gym to get ready for the Spring football, which started
Tuesday. But unlike the others, Paus also put in some hard
time at the Los Angeles County Jail.

Paus was ordered to spend 96 hours in prison and carry out
mandatory counseling and alcohol awareness programs as a punishment
for his second drunk-driving offense in the last 15 months.

Paus, who remains on probation for the next four-and-a-half
years for his offense, spoke about his off-season for the first
time in a press conference on Tuesday.

The word about Paus’ second drunk-driving offense became
public knowledge on the Thursday before the Nov. 17 contest at USC.
The actual arrest occurred in July of 2001, but Paus did not tell
head coach Bob Toledo or anyone else affiliated with the program
until his offense was leaked to the media in November.

“It was a little naive to think that I could keep it a
secret during the entire season,” Paus said. “I did
what I thought was best for the football team and the
program.”

Since that time, Paus has completed his jail sentence and is in
the midst of finishing his 18-month counseling assignment. He has
learned a lot from his off-the-field experiences. The Los Angeles
County Jail guards made sure that Paus knew the magnitude of his
mistakes.

“There were a lot of USC fans at County, but the guards
were the ones who made me realize what I could lose if I make a
mistake like this again,” Paus said. “(Being in jail)
was an eye-opening experience that I don’t ever care to
re-live.”

Paus came to UCLA as the valued successor to Cade McNown, but
now faces an uncertain future as he enters his fifth and final
season. Toledo has made it clear that the starting quarterback
position is open to any quarterback in spring camp, but Paus
believes that, barring injury, he will be the starting quarterback
in 2002.

Paus has been fighting a chronic thumb injury along with the
ongoing struggle to regain his reputation. The thumb is 90 percent
healed, but his reputation and the respect of his teammates may not
totally be regained.

Despite Paus’ worries, his teammates do not see it the
same way.

“He didn’t lose one ounce of my respect,” UCLA
cornerback Matt Ware said. “As long as he comes to play, he
has it.”

Paus is close to being physically healthy, and his recent
run-ins with the law may have humbled him into being a better
quarterback.

“We want to see Cory improve, gain confidence, and show
leadership,” Toledo said. “He needs to move on. I want
him to improve on and off the field.”

Paus has a new lease on life without alcohol or a driver’s
license, and his performance this spring will determine the rest of
his UCLA career.