Former football player charged

Iowa City, Iowa (U-WIRE) - After nearly two months of investigation, the Johnson County Attorney's Office filed charges Monday against former University of Iowa football player Ryan Loftin.

Loftin was charged with extortion following an Aug. 21 incident in which he allegedly hand-delivered a letter to Coach Kirk Ferentz in threatening to expose secrets about the UI football program if his scholarship were not restored.

The letter was allegedly delivered four days after Loftin quit the team, having cited personal reasons. According to court documents, the letter detailed a plan in which Loftin would share a playbook with opponents and form a group of angry former players in an effort to oust Ferentz.

Johnson County Attorney Patrick White said that following his investigation, the next step was prosecution.

"It was the same as many other cases in that we evaluated the case by reviewing reports and interviewing witnesses before deciding to file charges," he said.

The witness list includes: Ferentz; William Dervich, football administrative assistant; Rita Foley, secretary to Ferentz; tight end Zeron Flemister; and safety Matt Bowen.

Bowen, who has not been in contact with Loftin since the alleged incident, is surprised the process has gone this far.

"I thought it was good and done with," he said. "You never expect things like this to happen."

But Bowen said Loftin must be ready to accept the consequences of his alleged actions.

"You do something wrong, you have to pay the consequences. You have to take responsibility," he said.

Loftin was arrested on Aug. 28 after turning himself in to the UI Department of Public Safety. He was then charged with extortion and fifth-degree theft for stealing a playbook. The county attorney's office has decided to pursue the charge of extortion and drop the theft charge.

Extortion is a class D felony, carrying an undetermined sentence with a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $7,500.

Loftin remains out of jail on his own recognizance; his court date is scheduled for Oct. 21, when he will offer his plea.

Fred Mims, Iowa associate men's athletics director, was disappointed that the alleged incident had to go to court.

"I was hoping that it would be resolved outside of the courts and that something could have been done to keep this student from going through this," he said. "It's a bad situation, and one I wish hadn't occurred."

Loftin's attorney, Leon Spies, is hopeful the matter can be settled before court proceedings.

"I am optimistic that Mr. White, UI representatives, Mr. Loftin and I can sit down and come up with a reasonable solution that will be acceptable to everyone involved," he said.

Loftin will plead not guilty, and if an agreement can't be reached, the defense will be prepared to go forward, Spies said.

"If we can't resolve this through talks, we will do what we need to do," he said.

10-13-99