Updated 10:13 p.m.
Well, that didn't take long. Paul Wulff announced on his radio show tonight that the team unity council has decided to suspend wide receiver Kevin Norrell after his run-in with the law over Labor Day weekend.
Here's the skinny from Grippi:
After talking with some players, it’s obvious Norrell’s actions – missing a game because he was sick, then instead of being home recuperating and getting well for Hawaii, being out at 3 a.m. – has caused a lot of friction with his teammates – no matter what he was doing. The time of the incident alone is hard for his teammates to get over.
Norrell had put in the work over the offseason, was doing things on the field he had not been capable of doing last year and was expected to be a big contributor this season. That’s another reason his teammates feel betrayed, and makes it tough for them to understand.
It sounds as if the door has been left open for Norrell to make amends and rejoin the team, and he does have a redshirt available after playing last year as a true freshman.
It might seem like a double standard with all the things Xavier Hicks and others have done, and it also might seem odd that a final decision was made before the legal system ran its course. After all, he's only been charged. But the key here is trust. This team has been preaching trust and accountability ever since last season ended, and this was a pretty big breach of it. That seems to be Norrell's biggest sin in all of this.
And, oh by the way: Grippi's post also includes a practice report. Well worth the read.
EDIT 10:13 p.m.: There's one more paragraph worth noting in this story by Grippi, which apparently is first running on The Seattle Times site:
The decision means Norrell, who played in 13 games and caught 11 passes as a true freshman, will not be allowed to practice or play this season. The situation will be re-evaluated at the end of the semester, according to a WSU spokesman.