Ty Gregorak: Attorney doesn't rule out lawsuit for former CU Buff wrongly accused of theft

Ty Gregorak.

On Friday, we told you about Ty Gregorak, the first-ever Shmuck of the Week designate to ever be de-Shmuckified -- thanks to charges against the former CU Buff involving the theft and return of a strip-club bouncer's gun being dropped by the Boulder District Attorney's Office.

According to David Beller, Gregorak's attorney, a lawsuit inspired by the arrest, and the repercussions of it, hasn't been ruled out.

"I need to discuss that with my client and advise him to all of his options," Beller says. "And that certainly may be one of them."

Gregorak was originally reported to have been expelled from Club Nitro by a security guard -- after which the bouncer discovered that a number of items, including a gun and a wallet, had been stolen from his car. After Gregorak subsequently returned the items, he was quickly charged in relation to the break-in. However, Beller says that video of the expulsion incident proved the man in question wasn't Gregorak, who has no idea how the items in question wound up in his room. He believes he was drugged at some point that evening.

The publicity attracted by the arrest had a horrific effect on Gregorak's coaching career. As Beller notes, "He was formerly a coach with the University of Montana -- and then when the Montana head coach [Bobby Hauck] moved to UNLV, he moved to UNLV with him. But UNLV hasn't been exactly supportive of Ty."

That's a mammoth understatement. Shortly after the press reported Gregorak's arrest, UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood publicly announced that the assistant coach's contract wouldn't be renewed.

Not everyone turned their back on Gregorak, though.

"The University of Montana has been phenomenal -- really supportive, although more on a social-support basis," Beller reveals.

Nonetheless, he continues, "Ty has no plans to go back to Montana, nor have any offers been extended. He's currently in Spokane, which is where his family home is."

The decision by the DA's office to drop the charges gives him a chance to re-start his coaching career.

"From the public's perspective, it was important politically for any university that was seriously considering him that this black mark be removed," Beller says. "So he put everything on hold and waited for the process to resolve itself. Now that it has, he can look for employment again."

Early signs have been good, Beller says. "He's had some informal discussions with several different universities. Nothing has been resolved at this point, but he's extremely optimistic. He had an amazing reputation before this happened. It may take some time, but I think he's going to get that reputation back."

Don't count on a return to UNLV, though. "I doubt that's a possibility," Beller concedes. "Ty had a great deal of loyalty to the head coach, and he always will. That said, certain decisions are made by the coach, and others are made by the athletic director. The university president wouldn't even have a meeting with Ty when he had inquired about it. And UNLV has already replaced him."

There's at least a possibility UNLV will have to defend that decision, and others involving Gregorak, in court.