U District Bar Fight Led to Heimuli, Fuavai Departures
Linebackers Daniel Heimuli and Ruperake Fuavai were dropped from the University of Washington football team after allegedly instigating a fight with employees at a University District pub — an incident described as angry and violent after the players were asked to leave at closing time and informed they couldn't take their alcoholic drinks with them.
An employee, who requested she not be identified, told how the situation on Nov. 20 quickly escalated at Finn MacCool's Irish Public House in the 4200 block of University Way Northeast at 1:45 a.m., several hours following the UW-Colorado football game, and multiple employees were punched in the process.
"It was all over [the fact] they didn't want to do what we asked — taking drinks outside," the employee said. "It was such a small thing."
She told how a female manager was struck in the face, a co-worker was left with a broken eye socket that required medical attention, another employee was hit in the mouth and a bus boy took two fists to the chest.
An UW athletic department official acknowledged the players are no longer part of the Husky football team and that upper campus was looking into the now nearly two-month-old incident, but offered no immediate comment. The school newspaper, The Daily, first reported the altercation.
Finn MacCool's is where two UW players got involved in a postgame incident, according to an employee.
Dan Raley
Heimuli, Fuavai and a third unidentified person allegedly began yelling when Finn MacCool's employees tried to close down the bar and confiscate their drinks, according to the employee.
However, she said her co-workers were careful not to touch the players while strongly urging them to exit the premises.
"It got crazy really quickly," she said. "We told them to leave. We got them to the front door. We didn't get physical with the players, we just had our arms out and tried to guide them out."
The employee said the situation was ironic considering Finn MacCool's long had been considered a hangout for Husky football players and the pub had a good relationship with them. Some of the workers are UW grads and most of them are football fans. She said it was especially odd there was trouble considering the Huskies won 54-7 earlier in the day.
"That is one of the worst fights we've ever had in here," the employee said.
Police were called and arrived a half hour later, after the players were gone, to take a report. Employees asked to press charges, but none have been filed as of yet, according to the county prosecutor's office.
Heimuli and Fuavai, both sophomores, were reserves for the UW football team and played sparingly this past season, including in the Colorado game. The players received their suspensions and were held out of the Apple Cup against Washington State and the Alamo Bowl against Texas, and each has entered the transfer portal.
Coach Kalen DeBoer revealed that Heimuli was indefinitely suspended after the player's absence in Pullman was noted, but he didn't provide details. He wasn't asked about Fuavai. The football program, at least under previous coaches, typically hasn't volunteered information about players in trouble and doesn't address misconduct unless specifically asked.
Efforts to contact Heimuli and Fuavai were unsuccessful.
Meantime on Sunday night, Finn MacCool's, which is a narrow establishment with cherry countertops and tucked into the southern end of the University Ave, was a quiet, near empty place, with two customers seated separately at the bar and a bartender waiting on them.
The employee said no one from the school had reached out to apologize for the November incident at the pub or to the injured employees, though one of the players said to be involved apparently attempted to contact the pub again.
"Heimuli called a week later," she said. "I saw his name come up on the phone. I didn't answer it."
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