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Former CU Football Player Arrested For Sex Assault

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4/P) - A former University of Colorado football player has been arrested on a sexual assault allegation.

Police in Boulder say Michael Sipili turned himself in and was arrested Tuesday. He was in court in the afternoon and not immediately available for comment.

Police say Sipili is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 22-year-old woman against her will at an off-campus gathering on Dec. 4. Police say she repeatedly told Sipili no.

According to the arrest affidavit, Sipili and a few of his friends met the alleged victim at Shooters in downtown Boulder. They later left the bar to go to a nearby apartment. The woman reported to police while at the apartment she had consensual sex with Sipili's friend. After that is when she said Sipili assaulted her.

In 2007 Sipili was charged with assault after getting into a fight with another man.

Sipili is a CU senior but is no longer an active player on the roster. CU said the linebacker completed his NCAA eligibility this past season.

Sipili was a linebacker described as an intense player who made great progress through the years. CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn says that's why the allegations are so disappointing, especially because the university has taken great steps to educate athletes about inappropriate behavior.

"Our sanctions and our policies and procedures and the way we handled this have been very severe and very swift, and we will continue to do that until we can help all of our young men and all of our student athletes and students on campus for that matter understand our commitment to insuring that we will not tolerate that," Bohn said.

Sipili is being held on a $100,000 bond. CU is also doing their own investigation and has not decided what kind of disciplinary action if any to take against Sipili, but he does face suspension or expulsion on top of the criminal charges.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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