Bruins suspend lineman Mason indefinitely after arrest
UCLA reserve defensive lineman Steven Mason was suspended indefinitely after his arrest this month on suspicion of felony domestic violence and child endangerment.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to f ile felony charges and has referred the case to the L. A. city attorney’s office, which has scheduled the matter for informal resolution during a hearing at the L. A. Airport Courthouse.
UCLA said in a statement that it was aware of Mason’s arrest and confirmed his suspension but would have no further comment on the matter while it was being reviewed.
Mason, 22, was arrested Oct. 10 at 10: 56 p. m. after UCLA police responded to a report of domestic violence in the 3300 block of Sawtelle Boulevard. Mason was transported to the UCLA Police Department, where he was booked and transported to L. A. County Jail on $ 150,000 bail.
Through a public records request, The Times obtained more than 500 pages of invoices and receipts.
A spokesperson for the L. A. city attorney’s office, speaking generally about informal hearing procedures, said they usually involve the suspect and victim having the opportunity on separate dates to speak about the alleged incident with a hearing officer. The suspect is typically admonished for his or her conduct and informed that if there is any similar subsequent conduct, charges for the initial incident could be f iled before the expiration of the one- year statute of limitations.
Bruins coach Chip Kelly said last week that Mason was in quarantine after coming in close contact with someone outside the school’s athletic community who tested positive for COVID- 19.
Mason, a redshirt senior from San Diego who spent two seasons at Southwestern Junior College before arriving at UCLA, played in eight games with the Bruins in 2019, making seven tackles.
Pining for a return to winning tradition
Every time he sees his father’s UCLA bowl game champion rings, it reminds Shea Pitts what he hasn’t accomplished as a Bruin.
No Pac- 12 Conference titles. No winning seasons. No jewelry.
Ron Pitts’ haul from the 1980s, when the Bruins won seven consecutive bowls, seems absurd by comparison.
“I’m just like, dang, you have three rings — a Fiesta Bowl and two Rose Bowls?” Shea, a redshirt junior nickelback, said Wednesday of the father who was a defensive back at UCLA and in the NFL.
“I can’t not bring home at least a bowl game, so I’m putting that pressure on myself. He’s too nice of a guy to say anything, but I feel it for him, like, I’ve got to start winning some games.”
UCLA has gone 13- 24 since Pitts’ arrival in 2017, including 7- 17 in two seasons under coach Chip Kelly. It’s a trajectory that Pitts doesn’t want to sustain given the greatness that proceeded him.
He’s reminded of that every time he sees an image of Troy Aikman in the weight room or Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode in the lobby of the Wasserman Football Center.
“We really want to bring that back,” Pitts said of UCLA’s winning tradition. “A lot of people have told us how much we’ve lost in the past and we’re just sick of hearing that. We’re tired of losing. Since I’ve got here, we have not won a lot of games and these new guys coming in, they’ve seen that and it’s like, ‘ We’re changing it right now.’ ”
Transformation requires energy and effort, and Pitts said he’s seen both from the Bruins. He’s seen it in teammates showing up 20 minutes before the start of training camp sessions to work on individual technique. He’s seen it in cerebral cornerback Obi Eboh predicting play calls before the snap. He’s seen it in fellow nickelback Qwuantrezz Knight getting him excited just to practice.
“I’ve never seen a team this hungry and have this much energy, ready to go every day,” Pitts said, “so I’m really confident in what we’ve got as a team going on.”
Pitts continues to vacillate between defensive back and linebacker but said he doesn’t care where he’s positioned as long as he can “f ly around, make plays and help my team win.” He appeared in all 12 games as a reserve last season, making a sack against Arizona and forcing a fumble against USC.
He wants a lot more out of his college career than a handful of individual highlights, of course.
“I can’t just go here in my whole entire UCLA career and not end up winning some games,” Pitts said, “so that’s all I’m worried about this year.”