WCU football player charged with Maggie Valley murder
Toren Gordon, a reserve fullback on Western Carolina’s football team, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with an incident last week at a Maggie Valley night club.
The 21-year-old Dallas junior, who played at North Gaston High School, is charged with fatally shooting Corey Jermon Matthews, 29, of Asheville. The incident occurred early Friday morning in the Thunder Ridge parking lot. Matthews died Saturday at Haywood Regional Medical Center.The killing happened on College Night, which often draws more than 1,000 people to the night club, according to District Attorney Charles Hipps.
Gordon was taken into custody Monday in Gaston County and is being held in the Haywood County Jail in lieu of $500,000 secured bond. At a court hearing Tuesday morning, he was represented by Asheville attorney Sean Devereaux. Hipps said a decision was expected by Wednesday morning on whether Devereaux would be retained to represent Gordon or if he would receive a court-appointed attorney.Gordon saw action in all 11 games for the Catamounts this past season.
He carried the ball 13 times for 77 yards.”Obviously, we’re very shocked that one of our players could be involved in a situation such as this,” WCU Athletic Director Jeff Compher said. “It’s a tragic situation.”The incident came just over a month after Brent Pry, a WCU assistant football coach, was charged with driving while impaired and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury following an incident in the Thunder Ridge parking lot. The assault charge was dismissed, but Pry pleaded guilty to DWI.
In addition, three WCU football players, including two starters, are facing charges of assault inflicting serious injury in connection with an Oct. 14 fight at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house in Cullowhee. They are all-conference cornerback Marquail Wells, tight end Brian Rucker and walk-on Herbert White.”Western has done a lot of work to improve its academic standards,” said Hipps, a former member of the WCU board of trustees. “Now somebody needs to raise the bar for moral character, especially in athletics.
At a bare minimum, I think all athletes and coaches should be barred from Thunder Ridge.””That’s something we’re looking at,” Compher said. “We’re encouraging our student-athletes and coaches to stay away from (the night club).”If Hipps has his way, WCU athletic officials won’t have to make a decision about keeping athletes away from Thunder Ridge. He plans to file a petition seeking a jury trial, which could lead to the night spot being shut down as a public nuisance.
Since Compher came to WCU, he has placed a premium on involving student-athletes in the community. Examples include volunteer work with the Community Table and youth athletic teams. He pledged to continue those activities.”We’ve got to determine who and where the problems are and get rid of them,” he said.Athletic department officials constantly remind student-athletes that they are under more scrutiny than the average student, Compher said, and that they need to steer clear of trouble.
“We let them know that as a student-athlete they are held to a higher standard,” he said. “We tell them if they are in a situation that starts to disintegrate, to get out of that situation and take care of each other.”The AD said his coaches know they are only to recruit student-athletes with good character who will represent Western Carolina in a positive manner. He acknowledged it is often difficult to determine an individual’s character during the recruitment process.
As for Pry, Compher said no disciplinary action will be taken against the football coach, although his duties were put on hold until his court case was resolved.”He certainly has expressed that he has learned a great deal,” Compher said. “That’s all we can ask for.”We’re going to keep doing the positive things we’ve been doing,” he continued. “I’m convinced we’re headed in the right direction, even though there will be bumps in the road.”