Former Rough Rider pleads guilty to assault
Glenn Kulka threw man to the ground over debt
Former Ottawa Rough Rider, professional wrestler and sports radio host Glenn Kulka pleaded guilty to assault Wednesday, admitting he grabbed a Stittsville spa owner by the throat and tossed him to the floor.
Court heard Kulka had got into a heated argument with Oasis Spa owner Henry Nguyen on July 24, 2012. Kulka came looking for Nguyen shortly after 3 p.m. with a message to call Ottawa mortgage broker David Touhey, who had loaned Nguyen $35,000.
The six- f oot- f our and 255-pound former defensive lineman and World Wrestling Federation wrestler nicknamed the The Kulkster insisted that Nguyen call Touhey right away, and offered a cellphone so Nguyen could make the call. Nguyen refused, telling Kulka he would call Touhey later on his own phone before demanding to know Kulka’s name.
Their exchange turned violent when Kulka — who once held the pro football bench-press record by pressing 225 lbs. 53 times — grabbed the five-foot-four Nguyen by the throat and threw him to the ground.
Nguyen wasn’t seriously hurt, but the attack left him sore and frightened, court heard.
It emerged during a preliminary hearing that Nguyen had declared bankruptcy and had failed to list Touhey as one of his creditors. Touhey had been trying for months to get Nguyen to call him. Touhey testified that he only ever asked Kulka to ask Nguyen to call him.
Kulka’s lawyer, Neil Weinstein, asked Ontario Superior Court Justice Bonnie Warkentin to give Kulka an absolute discharge, which would leave him without a criminal record. The prosecution is seeking a conditional discharge and two years of probation, including conditions that Kulka not contact Nguyen and complete 50 hours of community service.
Weinstein argued such conditions were unnecessary. Now a personal trainer, Kulka has spent countless hours volunteering with charities, including Home Runs for Autism, pizza-eating contests for the Food Bank, and poker nights for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his lawyer said.
The former radio host at The Team 1200, who once battled addictions so severe they nearly led him to suicide, also now speaks to high school students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, Weinstein added.
Kulka suffered more than 20 concussions during his career as a professional athlete, brain injuries that have left the 51-yearold with significant neurological and psychological deficits that are expected to worsen as he ages, Weinstein said.
“Mr. Kulka has a variety of symptoms that are directly the result of the head injuries that he suffered as a professional sports athlete in a period of time when those issues were not in the public spotlight as much as they are now,” Weinstein said.
But prosecutor Sarah Fountain encouraged the judge to consider the fear felt by Nguyen after coming into conflict with a man who was “absolutely twice his size, if not more.”
Kulka is expected to be sentenced Friday.