Statement From Attorney Tim Gresback
My name is Tim Gresback. I’m an attorney in Moscow, Idaho. On my right is Timmy Reed. On my left is his father Nick Reed. Nick is a fourth generation Idaho Vandal. Timmy is a fifth generation Vandal.
Timmy is a senior at the University of Idaho and a member of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi. He is majoring in Civil Engineering and has a 3.56 GPA.
During his time at the University, Timmy has attended and enthusiastically cheered on the Vandal football team at almost every home football game. Timmy’s parents Nick and Melissa Reed of Weiser, Idaho, have raised thousands of dollars over the years for Vandal football scholarships.
Timmy was the victim of a violent crime on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at his home in Moscow, Idaho, near the university campus. Timmy and his two housemates from Beta Theta Pi were hoping to host a social event at his triplex that Saturday evening, but it hadn’t really started when a large crowd—estimated at 40, 50, or more—suddenly arrived uninvited and unannounced around 10:30 pm. The crowd appeared to be University of Idaho students, some of whom wore face masks or carried PVC pipes. It is believed that many in the group were University of Idaho football players.
It is not altogether clear what induced this large crowd to suddenly show up. It may have been for some twisted notion of revenge: a week earlier, at a different location, a member of Timmy’s fraternity had a tussle with a football player. Timmy, however, had nothing to do with any precipitating event. Timmy Reed is an innocent victim.
Timmy asked the group to leave his residence. He had never in his life been in a fight. He brandished no weapon. One person in the crowd, without provocation, sucker punched Timmy in the face. Timmy was also hit in the head. He fell to the ground and hit his head on the asphalt. Timmy was knocked unconscious. He suffered a concussion, fractured nose, and black eye. He needed and received medical attention at QuickCare. These photos depict what Timmy looked like after he was sucker punched.
The reason we are here today is because Timmy and his parents want no other Vandals to go through what they have gone through. Not only does Timmy want to feel safe, he also respectfully demands individual, institutional, and community accountability. This young man was so addled with fear after he was assaulted that he slept with a knife under his pillow.
Timmy has fully cooperated with the University’s investigation, and has voluntarily appeared for a police interview. He has nothing to hide. The Reed family does not want this crime to be swept under the rug. But I almost feel like I can hear the broom. The end of the semester is nearly on us. Witnesses will soon be scattered upon summer break and graduation. If there is a strategy to run the accountability clock out, it could very well be working.
It seems to me that for such a large crowd to show up at the same time at a private home without invitation, it took organized communication and planning. My guess is that there are digital footprints of this effort. This evidence should be preserved, and I hope that the police and University officials have taken measures to do so. I urge any witnesses to the February 10, 2024, incident who have not yet spoken with law enforcement to come forward.
The Reed family wonders, as do I, how the Vandal community can allow a culture like this to exist.
Where was the team leadership?
Where were the football captains?
What do the assistant coaches teach?
What does head football coach Jason Eck tolerate?
What is athletic director Terry Gawlick doing to assure the community that this won’t happen again?
What is Dean of Students Blaine Eckles doing to protect students from this kind of behavior?
Will President Green tolerate this type of football player violence as long as the football team has a winning record?
Through the grapevine, we have heard that some are trying to justify the violence because racial insults were allegedly hurled that night. This, however, is an unfair attempt to change the narrative.
First and foremost, the Reed family does not talk that way—racial epithets are unacceptable. Timmy was not raised to use that kind of language.
In addition, this inaccurate narrative shift does not address why this large, seemingly organized and intimidating mob showed up on Timmy’s doorstep uninvited.
The allegation that racial slurs were thrown after the crowd’s arrival doesn’t explain the impetus for their arrival in the first place. This group arrived in a concerted fashion looking for trouble. They certainly succeeded. They made trouble. This time, luckily, no one was killed. This time, luckily, no one lost their eyesight. What about next time?
Unless there is individual—and institutional—accountability, coupled with a new infusion, a new type, of football and athletic leadership, we fear it is only a matter of time before this type of rogue behavior happens again.
The white football player identified as the perpetrator should not be the sole party held to account. In a way, he, too, is a victim—of a toxic, out of control, cavalier Vandal football culture that tolerates violence but lacks leadership. It is time for change.
I imagine you may have questions, but we respectfully suggest you direct them to the University and the Moscow Police Department. In the past, President Scott Green had a track record of being bold, decisive, and fearless. However, in this case the accountability clock is running out. Our Vandals deserve better leadership. The change must come from the top.
We respectfully demand that the University respond substantively by Friday, May 3—one week from today—so students can enter finals week knowing that President Green cares about their safety.
Cover Photo Credit: KHQ.com Video
All other Photos credit: Curtesy
