Well, apparently that was all much ado about nothing. The Apple Cup-to-Qwest move is dead. Here are Jim Sterk's just-released comments in their entirety:
"President Floyd and I have decided not to pursue further conversations about moving the Apple Cup to Qwest Field," said Sterk. "I want to reiterate that at no time did we have a finalized agreement. It became evident an understanding on ways to maintain the neutral-site atmosphere in regards to ticket allotment could not be reached; therefore, our student-athletes and Cougar fans would not be best served without this key component. I was not going to continue following a path that was not in the best interest of WSU Athletics, the university and our fans." "What made this possible agreement attractive were the additional number of tickets available to our fans, the financial gain seen by the athletic department, and the tremendous exposure created by playing a game of this magnitude at one of the premier sporting venues in the country. However, the final details could not be ironed out. "We appreciate the relationship we have with First & Goal and will work with them to maintain WSU football's presence at Qwest Field." I'm pretty shocked this is how it turned out, but I must say I'm incredibly proud of Sterk right now. He didn't sell us down the river to chase the money -- he pulled out in the interest of fairness to the team.