A new report says former University of Denver guard Coban Porter is back in college basketball three years after a January 2023 crash that killed a Denver woman. Public court records and local coverage show Porter pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault and was sentenced to six years in prison in April 2024, which makes an on-campus return to the floor a long shot at best. The gap between the fresh comeback story and the paper trail is raising questions about how the report was framed and what the official documents actually spell out.
As reported by 9News, Porter is described as returning to college competition after stepping away following the crash. That story includes interviews and quotes about the reported move and the player’s past, according to the article.
What the public record shows
Official court and police filings outline a very different timeline. Porter was arrested on Jan. 22, 2023, after a collision at South University Boulevard and East Buchtel Boulevard, according to the Denver District Attorney. That affidavit says investigators estimated Porter was driving about 50 mph, that he ran a red light, and that officers noted bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of alcohol when they contacted him. Local reporting from Denver7 likewise states the other driver died at the scene and that a passenger suffered serious injuries.
Victim and family reaction
The driver killed was identified as 42-year-old Katharina Rothman, who was working for a rideshare service that night, and her family has spoken publicly about their loss, according to reporting from The Denver Gazette. The site of the fatal crash near the University of Denver has been the focus of a small memorial and of civil filings seeking damages related to Rothman’s death and the passenger’s catastrophic injuries.
Plea and sentence
Porter pleaded guilty in February 2024 to one count of vehicular homicide-DUI and one count of vehicular assault-DUI and was sentenced in April 2024 to six years in prison, according to coverage by CBS Colorado. Colorado Public Radio reported the judge’s comments at sentencing, including an admonition that Porter “use this opportunity to educate others” about the dangers of driving drunk.
Legal and civil fallout
The victims have filed civil lawsuits alleging both Porter and the nearby Crimson & Gold Tavern overserved him before he left the bar, The Denver Gazette reports. State liquor licensing records list Crimson & Gold at 2017 S. University Blvd., and the suits say the tavern continued to serve Porter while he was visibly intoxicated; the complaints seek damages tied to the death and the passenger’s long-term injuries.
Legal implications
The criminal disposition, a guilty plea on DUI-related vehicular homicide and vehicular assault counts, followed by a multi-year sentence, represents a felony conviction with both criminal penalties and potential civil exposure, as the pending suits allege. Court documents and sentencing coverage remain the clearest record of the timeline, and at this point, those records are inconsistent with the idea that Porter has resumed playing college basketball.
Because of that mismatch, readers and newsrooms are best served by court filings and official records when a reported athletic comeback intersects with criminal cases. We have linked the primary documents and local reporting above, and we will update this post if the station, courthouse, or parties provide clarifying information.
