EDIT, 7:37 p.m. - Jones arrest
EDIT, 9:29 p.m. - Grippi confirms all but the Jones arrest
I think we all were hoping that we could put the 2009 football season in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible and start focusing on why 2010 has the potential to be better.
Well, the news coming out of Pullman today isn't exactly inspiring confidence at this point. Cougfan.com is reporting three different pieces of news which don't bode well for the future of the program. All are premium content, which I don't have access to, so I'll pass along details when Grippi's report hits SportsLink, but suffice to say that the headlines tell the story.
- Safety Eric Block, who has fought a generally losing battle with ulcerative colitis over the past two years, will no longer play football. Block was expected to challenge for a starting safety spot next year. EDIT, 9:29: Grippi confirms and Bud Withers has more here. Basically, when he doesn't play football, he's more or less OK.
- Offensive lineman Joe Eppele, who hails from British Columbia, is returning to Canada to pursue a career in the CFL. While he wasn't expected to battle for a starting job, this cuts into the offensive line depth. And if anyone knows how important that is, it's us. EDIT, 9:29: Grippi reports Eppele has just a few credits to finish up his degree in the spring. As a native Canadian, he'll be highly thought of in the CFL draft.
- Offensive lineman Kevin Freitag has been slow to recover from toe surgery and it's raising some major concerns. Again, there's the potential that we could be losing a guy expected to potentially provide depth. EDIT, 9:29: Freitag has never played at WSU, and Grippi says he probably never will because the issues with his foot just aren't getting better.
EDIT, 7:37 p.m.: I suppose we also should throw in the apparent arrest of cornerback Brandon Jones for fourth degree domestic violence on Monday. Unbelievable.
I guess we can just hold onto the good news that James Montgomery is looking awfully good to come back next year. But at this point, I'm waiting to hear that he's suffered a debilitating pinky injury that will cause him to end his football career.