Colorado State Football Players Suspended Indefinitely for Assault

Jim McElwain didn't have an easy decision to make, but the head football coach at Colorado State knew some form of action had to be taken regarding the recent fight some of his players got into.

According to the Denver Post, McElwain took steep action, indefinitely suspending multiple players after they allegedly assaulted fellow Colorado State students this past weekend:

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McElwain suspended Mike Orakpo, Nordly Capi and Colton Paulhus indefinitely for their alleged role in a fight late Friday night that resulted in four other CSU students being sent to Poudre Valley Hospital—two with serious injuries, according to a Fort Collins police news release.

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The specifics of the fight aren't known at this time, but McElwain didn't wast any time in making sure his players were punished. 

Update: According to The Rocky Mountain Collegian, there's a petition going around to have these players expelled from school. 

Each player is not allowed to participate in practices or meetings, and when everything is said and done and the investigation is over, some of the players might even be removed from the team. 

All three are junior defenders that the Rams were counting on for 2012, but their future with the program is up in the air. 

This isn't the first incident for Orakpo and Capi, both of whom were involved in an ordeal on St. Patrick's Day. That didn't result in a suspension, but it shows that neither learned his lesson. 

Off-field troubles happen a great deal during the college football offseason, and Colorado State has unfortunately become the latest victim of this trend. 

McElwain told the paper that his strict punishment had to be done:

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The severity of this, I will not stand for what is going on. Until the investigation comes out, we don't know exactly all the circumstances, but I feel with the severity of them, I feel the best thing for us to do is to go ahead and indefinitely suspend, which is the strongest thing we can do at this point.

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This is a story that will continue to develop, and certainly one that the Rams wish had never happened to them this offseason.

Last year, the Rams went 3-9 overall and 1-6 in the MWC. However, they do return 18 total starters from last year, which gives them hope for a better season in 2012.

Of course, after this incident, Colorado State's defense takes a big hit. Capi and Paulhus both played on the defensive line, and Orakpo played at linebacker.

Stay with Bleacher Report as we continue to update you with the latest news from the Colorado State football program, as well as all the college football news you need to know.