Oregon State was counting on Aiden Sullivan to anchor its defense this fall. Instead, the 22-year-old inside linebacker is heading into the season with a felony hanging over him. Sullivan was arrested Monday in Benton County on a charge of second-degree assault, plus two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree assault, stemming from an alleged incident back on April 5.
According to court records, Sullivan allegedly punched a man named Bruno Cerriteno-Vega in the face, causing serious physical injury, and separately injured a second man, Logan Craig Chastain, that same day. He was released on Tuesday after posting a $5,000 security deposit against a $50,000 bail, and pleaded not guilty at his court appearance. His release conditions bar him from using or possessing intoxicants and from entering bars ahead of a status hearing set for August 25.
The timing stings for Oregon State. Sullivan wasn't just a rotational piece — he led all returning Beavers with 72 tackles last season and was penciled in as a starter at inside linebacker heading into fall camp. He was reportedly still practicing with the team as recently as last Friday, which suggests the program was working through the legal situation quietly before the arrest went public this week.
This isn't an isolated headache for Corvallis, either. Sullivan's arrest is the fifth involving an Oregon State player since November 2023, a stretch that's put the program's off-field discipline under a microscope even as it tries to rebuild on the field. Whether he's suspended, held out, or allowed to keep practicing while the case plays out is now the question hanging over a defense that just lost its most experienced returning piece to an uncertain legal timeline.