Katie Hnida Back in the Spotlight

Katie Hnida, the kicker who last year said she was raped by a fellow University of Colorado football player, will be interviewed Monday by Katie Couric on NBC’s Today Show.

After leaving CU in 2001, Hnida transferred to University of New Mexico where she became the first woman to appear in a Division I football game. Hnida, now a senior, recently played her final game for the Lobos.

In an interview with the Albuquerque Tribune, Hnida says she found a totally different environment among the Lobos.

“Being back out on [the field] brought back a lot of bad memories, but I was accepted almost immediately,” she said. “And in all my time here, I’ve never had any trouble with anyone. That still blows my mind, 117 guys and not one gave me a hard time. I mean, you gotta think someone would get out of line out of any group of 100 guys, but not here.”

Now that her college football career is over, Hnida is hiring an agent and evaluating the various book and movie offers she had to pass up under NCAA rules. The Couric interview is undoubtedly a first step in that regard. Beyond that?

Hnida has offers to work as a sidelines reporter and is considering attending graduate school at UNM after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology last month.

When asked whether she planned to pursue a kicking career in the NFL or Arena Football League, Hnida was coy and evasive.

“Keep watching,” she said. “You’ll see.”