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There has been no shortage of talk following the Marquess Wilson suspension, but very little of that has come from the team. Mike Leach and the players who held Monday press conferences said very little and we are yet to hear from Wilson himself.
WSU outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons broke the silence on Tuesday, discussing the situation with reporters following Tuesday's practice. Christian Caple has the full quotes in his blog post, but I'll excerpt some of them below.
They are like my kids. And having kids that are older, sometimes they're going to make decisions and make choices you may or may not agree with. And I think that's what's happened in this situation. I think it's very sad, I think it's very unfortunate. Where we go from here, I don't know. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I do. Did I hope to be sitting here talking to you guys about a situation like this? No. At the end of the day, like I said, I love these kids like they truly are my kids and I want nothing but the best for them both on and off the field.
And coaching college football, like coaching anything, you spend a lot of time correcting guys on what their weaknesses are and I try to make a point each day to tell guys, 'you did this good, too.' Because I can remember what it was like to be on their end of it. So how did we get to this point? Honestly I don't know. I really don't. Am I happy that we've gotten to this point? No I'm not.
So I mean, if he came and wanted to talk to me, my door is always open. He knows that. And I think I actually speak for Leach on this one, if he came and wanted to talk to Mike, his door's always open. At the end of the day we got in this business because we wanted to help young men grow.
Simmons comes of as extremely candid and downright frustrated the situation evolved to the point it did. The complete comments are absolutely worth reading, as is Christian's latest story on the situation.
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Football
Coach doesn’t know what to do about Wilson - Spokesman.com - Nov. 7, 2012
PULLMAN – Dennis Simmons shakes his head, throws up his arms. He just doesn’t know what to do about junior Marquess Wilson, the star Washington State receiver who was suspended Monday after walking out of a workout Sunday night.
Simmons 'at a loss' in Wilson situation - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Nov. 6, 2012
With basketball duties out of the way, we'll pass along today's comments from outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons, who gave an emotional description of his relationship with his players while answering questions about Marquess Wilson. Read on.
Pac-12 coaches try to avoid criticizing players publicly - Spokesman.com - Nov. 7, 2012
With so much consternation surrounding Washington State coach Mike Leach’s public criticism of his players’ effort – and, to be fair, his own, as well – we turn to an expert on such matters to evaluate whether such a public airing-out is a tactic used elsewhere.
Pac-12: Mike Leach’s meltdown was predictable | The Salt Lake Tribune
He may not have predicted Washington State’s complete meltdown, but former Utah coach Ron McBride pretty much nailed his forecast of the Cougars’ visit to Rice-Eccles Stadium last weekend.
Long's fortitude hasn't wavered during trying times at WSU " Kitsap Sun
Travis Long may have started in more losses than any player in Washington State football history, but those who know him best have no doubt Long is a winner.
WSU receivers coach speaks out on Wilson | College Sports - The News Tribune
PULLMAN – The position coach for suspended Washington State football star Marquess Wilson said he’s "got love" for Wilson, but stopped short of saying he expects Wilson to rejoin the Cougars.
Washington State's Mike Leach stands apart from other first-year coaches in Pac-12 | Bud Withers | The Seattle Times
At UCLA, first-year football coach Jim Mora says, "We've got a bunch of really good kids here. It's been a lot of fun."
Poll: Is Mike Leach being too hard on his Cougars? | Seattle PI Sports Blog - seattlepi.com
Something appears to have snapped in Pullman after the Cougars’ 49-6 loss in Utah on Saturday. After the smackdown, WSU head coach Mike Leach called out his players for their poor attitude and performance this weekend and this season, starting by saying the Cougs’ offensive line "borders on cowardice."
Leach V. Holgorsen: The Final Edition - Football Study Hall
While we finally got the whole gang back together, we sure didn’t get good offensive football. This past weekend was again defined by the head-scratching struggles of the West Virginia and Washington State offenses.
No. 17 UCLA Bruins at Washington State Cougars: Preview, prediction, TV info - CBSSports.com
Watchability: If you saw Titanic, and cheered for the iceberg, you might enjoy this game.
First look: UCLA at Washington State - Los Angeles Ucla Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES -- The external factors surrounding UCLA's trip to Washington State are plentiful, but Bruins coach Jim Mora isn't paying attention to any of them.
WASHINGTON STATE HOSTS NO. 17 UCLA SATURDAY NIGHT: Washington State University returns to Martin Stadium Saturday to host No. 17 UCLA at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Basketball
Cougs have work to do after exhibition win - Spokesman.com - Nov. 7, 2012
PULLMAN – It wasn’t pretty. But these kinds of games rarely are, especially when a team like Washington State is trying to replace its starting point guard and four departed seniors.
Tale of the tape: WSU 62, Saint Martin's 50 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Nov. 6, 2012
We'll keep this brief since it's late and it was, after all, an exhibition game. But we have our usual tale of the tape from tonight's 62-50 win by WSU over Saint Martin's. Read on.
Former Bellevue College player now with Cougars | Reporter Q and A - Bellevue Reporter
Keaton Hayenga has taken a different route than most to a Pac-12 basketball court.
Motum, Cougars wake up in 2nd half vs. SMU | Sports - The News Tribune
The Washington State Cougars drifted aimlessly through the first half of their exhibition basketball game Tuesday night, so coach Ken Bone made it a point to remind his players that the big guy in the crimson uniform is the reigning Pac-12 Conference scoring champion.
Washington State downs Saint Martin's in exhibition | Cougar Basketball | The Seattle Times
Senior forward Brock Motum scored a game-high 21 points and senior guard Mike Ladd had 12 as the Washington State men's basketball team earned a 62-50 exhibition victory over Saint Martin's on Tuesday at Beasley Coliseum.