UTEP Miners Football

Former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Sean Kugler has filed a request for arbitration after being fired in November.

Kugler was fired during the team's trip to Mexico City for the Week 11 game against the San Francisco 49ers. According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, he allegedly groped a woman on the Sunday night before the Monday Night Football game and was immediately sent home before the game.

At the time, head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he was "really limited" in what he could discuss until the legal process played out.

In Friday's press release from law firm Shields Petitti, Kugler called the "mysterious allegations" a result of "miscommunication or mistaken identity."

"The allegations against Coach Kugler are simply untrue and have caused Sean, his wife and family enormous personal and professional damage," attorney Michael Petitti said. "Coach and his family have been desperate to understand from the Cardinals' front office and others what rationale or evidence was used to terminate him for cause."

The Cardinals responded Friday:

Kugler had been with the Cardinals since 2019, holding the role of run game coordinator this season.

The veteran coach also had NFL stints with the Detroit Lions (2001-05), Buffalo Bills (2007-09), Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-12) and Denver Broncos (2018) and spent five seasons as head coach at UTEP (2013-17).

Arizona has fallen to 4-9 after three straight losses and just lost starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

UTEP senior fullback Forest McKee disclosed on Twitter Sunday that he is "feeling better and expected to make a full recovery" after testing positive for COVID-19:

McKee played every game for the 1-11 Miners last season.  

UTEP canceled the remainder of spring practices and the 2020 spring game on March 18 as the athletic facilities were closed indefinitely.

"These measures have been taken with the safety of our student-athletes as the highest priority," Jim Senter, the university's athletic director, said in a statement. "We continue to preach to all of our student-athletes and staff the importance of practicing social distancing and good hygiene during this unprecedented time."

Two UTEP employees were confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 24:

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted play in the NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB in the United States while also causing doubt about the status of college football come fall. However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, "strong conviction" has emerged that a season can take place:

CNN's latest numbers relay 555,398 cases in the U.S. that have resulted in 22,023 deaths as of Sunday night.

UTEP tight end Luke Laufenberg, the son of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Babe Laufenberg, died of cancer Thursday at age 21. 

Laufenberg was a walk-on a Texas A&M and played for Mesa Community College before he was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2017, according to the Associated Press. He was declared cancer-free in 2018, though he was unable to play for UTEP and eventually faced additional complications this spring.

A number of UTEP players and coaches spoke about Laufenberg after they learned the news of his death:

His father, Babe Laufenberg, 59, is a radio broadcaster for the Cowboys. He made a number of stops during his NFL career, spending time with Washington (1983–85, 1987), the San Diego Chargers (1985, 1988), New Orleans Saints (1986), Kansas City Chiefs (1987) and the Cowboys (1989–90).

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, a longtime friend of the Laufenberg family, didn't take any questions during his Thursday press conference, instead using the time to speak about Luke, per David Helman of the Cowboys' official site:

"Luke was an amazing young man. You guys have heard me talk about 'Fight' a lot. I don't know that I've ever a better example of that in my life. What he's gone through the last couple of years, the spirit that he had every day. To battle through it, to always be thoughtful about the people in his life—'How's my mom doing, how's my dad doing, how's my brother doing?' Amazing."

"It's such a tragedy, and it's so hard to understand," he added. "But I know that I will, and anybody that ever knew him, will be forever inspired by the life that he lived."        

UTEP quarterback Kai Locksley was arrested on four separate charges by police in El Paso, Texas, Friday. 

Per El Paso County Jail records (h/t USA Today), Locksley was charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana under two ounces, terroristic threat and unlawful carrying of a weapon. 

As of Saturday afternoon, the University of Texas-El Paso has yet to issue a statement about Locksley's arrest. 

Per Andra Litton and Colin Deaver of KTSM.com, Locksley had his bond set at $2,900 and remained in custody on Saturday. 

Locksley is entering his senior season with the Miners after transferring to the school from Iowa Western Community College in January 2018. He threw for 937 yards with three touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games last year. 

Prior to playing at Iowa Western Community College, Locksley spent one year redshirting at the University of Texas in 2015. He received his release to transfer in October 2016 after being unhappy with his playing time.