University officials admitted Tuesday that more could have been done on their part to prevent the murder of former ASU defensive back Brandon Falkner.
"We missed it," said ASU football coach Dirk Koetter, concerning previous allegations surrounding former tailback Loren Wade's conduct.
Claims that Wade threatened two ASU female athletes have surfaced since he was arrested and charged with shooting and killing Falkner early Saturday morning outside a Scottsdale nightclub.
"I felt in my heart of hearts that these incidents were relationship-based ... not violence-based," Koetter said at a press conference, flanked by more than two dozen players and coaches.
"If I thought in any way that an outcome like this would happen, of course I would have acted differently," he said.
Koetter said soccer coach Ray Leone contacted him on March 6 and told him one of his athletes was afraid Wade had possession of a gun and was worried.
Koetter then immediately spoke to both Wade and his girlfriend Haley van Blommestein -- who was at the scene when Falkner was killed. She said they had been fighting, but she did not feel threatened.
Other allegations that Wade threatened former ASU gymnast Trisha Dixon were also dismissed as problems consistent with an average college relationship.
"Those two incidents were not indicators that Loren would do what he did," said Gene Smith, ASU athletic director. "We felt comfortable that violence was not a part of what we were dealing with."
Smith said he has seen other cases in his 20 year's of experience as an athletic director that demonstrated more violent behavior than Wade's actions.
Koetter denied he had any knowledge Wade had access to a gun.
"It hurts me personally to the core when anyone insinuates cover-up," he said. "That's not it." He also said none of Wade's teammates came forward to report problems.
"There's part of me that's mad at Loren Wade for what he did to all the people that he touched in this," Koetter said. "There's part of me that's mad at our players [who knew Wade had a weapon]."
Koetter said he urged Wade to seek counseling just three weeks before he became embroiled last season in an NCAA rules violation surrounding charges that the tailback received illegal benefits from an ASU employee.
"This player was not referred to counseling based on threats," he said. "These other two issues happened late, [and] in my mind I did not connect that with the reason I had asked him to see the sports psychologist. I did not make that connection, nor did anyone else associated with this process."
While Koetter said Wade found the first few sessions useful, he stopped attending them sometime last year.
ASU President Michael Crow said the University should have been capable of preventing the tragedy.
"I believe that our entire system had the opportunity to conceive of Loren Wade as violent man capable of murder and it just didn't come to that conclusion," Crow said.
Crow said, however, it would not have been easy to draw that conclusion.
"That's quite a step to take, that a person is basically a murderer waiting to act," Crow said. "No one at the University, no one involved with the athletic department viewed Loren Wade as a murderer waiting to act."
Both Crow and Smith said changes would be made within the athletic department to help identify similar situations, but said the department has been too busy wrestling with the gravity of the situation to nail down any specifics.
"Most of the suggestions we have received revolve around improving screening and background checks," Smith said. "Nothing creative [has been suggested.]"
Gymnastics coach John Spini said he counsels his players when they first arrive to avoid unhealthy relationships.
"I don't want anyone to verbally abuse you or physically abuse you," Spini said. "If that happens you need to come to me immediately."
Smith said that advice has been implemented to varying degrees throughout the department and he doesn't think players should be discouraged from having relationships with one another.
"We have over 500 athletes and I think it would be a restriction that we couldn't place on their personalities," Smith said. "We saw things shift to the negative with this incident, but I have seen a bunch of relationships that are strong. I wouldn't want to curtail that opportunity for people. But the institution may decide differently as we look back at this."
Brian Indrelunas contributed to this report.
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
ONLINE EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was modified at 5:17 p.m. on March 30.
