A captain for Norwich University’s football team has been removed from the roster two weeks after he pleaded not guilty in court to charges of assault and felony burglary.
Owen McKenna and four other football players allegedly attacked three other students earlier this month, leaving one of them with injuries to his eye.
Owen McKenna, a linebacker and defensive captain, turned in a star performance for the Cadets in a homecoming day victory over rivals Coast Guard on Sept. 21, 10 days after he was formally charged with crimes that could carry more than 20 years in prison.
However, McKenna, a 21-year-old senior, and Ryan Shea, a 21-year-old junior — who faces the most serious charges — were kicked off the team this week, according to information provided by the university. Two other suspects in the attack — Connor Shea, 20, and Mike Curran, 22 — were already off the roster.
On Tuesday, Daphne Larkin, a spokesperson for the college, confirmed that McKenna and Shea were still on the roster. On Thursday, she said they were off the team.
“None of these students are currently on the football roster,” she said in an email, of the four accused. McKenna and Shea were also taken off the team’s roster online.
McKenna and the Shea brothers are still enrolled at the school. Curran is not, though it’s unclear why.
The university has refused to comment on why McKenna was allowed to play despite facing serious criminal charges.
The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus first reported on the assault, but did not mention the ties to the Norwich football program. VTDigger highlighted McKenna playing despite the charges in an article on Tuesday, and WCAX and WPTZ included the story in their evening broadcast Wednesday.
Norwich President Richard Schneider, through Larkin, declined to be interviewed about the university’s handling of the case. Larkin said the private college does not comment on ongoing investigations or disciplinary actions against specific students.
Athletic Director Anthony Mariano said “no” when asked if McKenna would appear in a game this weekend against Castleton, dubbed “The Battle for the Maple Sap Bucket.” He declined to expand on that response and referred further questions to Larkin.
Football coach Mark Murnyack did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.
McKenna is accused of entering another student’s dorm room along with Ryan Shea, Connor Shea and Mike Curran, and beating up three fellow students.
One of the students went to the hospital after the incident to be treated for cuts and bruising to his eye. All three of the alleged victims said they remained fearful after the attacks. According to the police affidavit in the case, one of the alleged victims say McKenna was standing over him after receiving multiple blows, making him conclude they came from the football captain.
The injured student, one of his friends, and his roommate, all told similar stories about the incident, which occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, according to court papers. The four football players said the tussle began after one of the alleged victims pushed Conor Shea during an argument in a hallway, and they all denied hitting anyone.
The roommate told police the incident was a “pretty terrifying experience,” and said the football players should also be kicked out of the Corps of Cadets, for either for being violent themselves, or for standing by and not stopping the other cadets.
McKenna, who grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts, faces a felony count of burglary into an occupied dwelling and two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, charges that carry up to 27 years in prison.
Ryan Shea, of Rockland, Massachusetts, was accused of causing the eye injury. He was charged with felony aggravated assault and burglary into an occupied dwelling, which together carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
All four of the accused were released on conditions that they not contact, harass or abuse the alleged victims. They are also barred from Crawford Hall, the dormitory where the incident took place.
Norwich’s win over the Coast Guard was its first since 2004, securing the rivalry game “Mug” on the 200th anniversary homecoming weekend and moving the Cadets to No. 7 in New England Division 3 football ranking.
The football program posted a celebratory video of the contest on its Facebook page, showing McKenna posing after the game with Schneider, Mariano and Murnyack.
The college said in a statement earlier this week that its “community values honor, integrity and respect for the law as cornerstones of our culture.” It also confirmed that it was cooperating with the Northfield Police Department in its investigation of the incident.
