Oregon State’s Gus Lavaka on post-game fight at Hawaii: ‘This isn’t me. Why did I do this?’

Gus Lavaka

Oregon State left guard Gus Lavaka (63).Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics

CORVALLIS – It took only a few seconds for Oregon State’s Gus Lavaka to understand what he had done after throwing three punches at Hawaii’s Solomon Matautia following Saturday night’s game in Aloha Stadium.

Almost immediately, the Beavers’ left guard was wrapped in a cocoon of remorse.

Lavaka, one of four Oregon State captains this season, was near Hawaii’s sideline when the game ended with the Rainbow Warriors winning 31-28. Hawaii players had just stopped a desperate, multi-lateral play by the Beavers to end the game, and began celebrating.

Lavaka was having none of it.

Lavaka began walking away from the sideline, when he suddenly threw his shoulder into Matautia, who reacted by shoving Lavaka in the back. Immediately, Lavaka turned and punched Matautia, throwing two right hands and a left before the fight was broken up.

“I was too in my emotions and I got caught up in the moment,” Lavaka told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday. “I did something stupid. I threw punches. I’m not proud of it.”

Lavaka said he wasn’t reacting to something Matautia or another Hawaii player said. He was upset that he didn’t block better on Oregon State’s final play of the game.

“It was in my head. I was like, get out of my way,” Lavaka said. “All of a sudden, stuff happens.”

Lavaka says he was only a few steps away from the scene of the fight when it hit him.

“I definitely regretted it,” Lavaka said. “Dang, it sucks. I might be out for the next game. This isn’t me. Why did I do this? I’m not the kind of guy to fight, not even in practice. In my head, I was so mad.”

It didn’t help that facing Oregon State following the loss was a five-hour flight from Honolulu to Portland. Lavaka says he remembers sitting on the plane drowning in disappointment. He apologized to every Oregon State coach he could find, and fellow linemen.

“Even my coaches, they said, I expect other O-linemen to do that, but you? You’re not the guy to do that,” Lavaka said. “I said, I know, I’m sorry.”

When Lavaka returned to his apartment in Corvallis, he said he reached out to a Hawaii player on Instagram, because Matautia doesn’t have an account. He asked the player to tell Sunia he was sorry, and the player said he’d pass it along.

Monday, the other shoe dropped when Lavaka was told he was suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game against Cal Poly.

“I wasn’t disappointed in the suspension. I felt like I deserved it. If anything, I felt like it should have been a game,” Lavaka said. “One half is OK with me. I was kind of mad because I don’t get to play, but I felt like I deserved it.”

Lavaka is worried about the long-term ramifications. He’s a certain NFL draft prospect for next spring, and surely scouts and coaches will be asking, as will future employers.

“All I can say is I’m not that kind of a guy. I don’t do stuff like that,” Lavaka said. “I’ll just have to live with the mistake and move on.”

Lavaka admits only time will allow him to move on. He’s never been suspended from a sporting event in his life. Lavaka says the fear of another incident motivates him to stay clean.

“If it happens again, there could be even greater consequences. But it’s not going to happen again,” Lavaka said. “It’s not me. It’s going to stick with me the rest of my career as a football player.”

For Saturday’s game against Cal Poly, Lavaka can stretch with the team during pre-game, but cannot be on the field during the first half. He’ll watch on TV from the locker room, then be ready for the second half.

There are no worries for the first Cal Poly player Lavaka blocks after halftime.

“I’m going to hit him,” he said, “but within the play.”

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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