Wulff Speaks Out Regarding WSU Player Arrests

On Sunday, June 14, 2009, WSU Football Coach Paul Wulff Joined Q13 Fox Sports Anchor Aaron Levine live on Q It Up Sports. Among the topics he addressed: the recent arrests of Tyree Toomer and LeAndre Daniels, the arrest of Xavier Hicks, his current quarterback situation, the Apple Cup deal to Qwest Field which fell through, recruiting against Steve Sarkisian, and the condition of injured football player Cory Mackay.

The entire interview can be seen in our video player, labeled "Wulff and Gastineau 1," "Wulff and Gastineau 2," "Wulff and Gastineau 3," and "Coach Wulff on Huskies T-Shirts."


Here is a partial transcript of the interview:

Q. I have to address the Tyree Toomer and LeAndre Daniels situation. They've been suspended from team activities. What else, if anything, can you tell us about their situation?

A. First of all, it's a mistake, and a poor choice by a couple young guys that have never been in trouble prior to Washington State or in their first year. Both have been done very well academically as well. I think when it's all said and done, there's a question mark on whether the charges will even be filed. There are some issues there behind the scenes that look favorable for the players.

Q. Have you spoken with them, and if so, what was your message?

A. Oh, yeah. I had a message. But we don't need to talk about that one here. But, bottom line is they're very remorseful and we'll deal with that, and the bottom line is they need to make sure they learn from those mistakes.

Q. Do you expect them to rejoin the team, and if so, when?

A. Yes we do, and hopefully soon.

Q. You talked about Xavier Hicks during spring practice as being a leader on the team. How much of a blow is that, that it happened again?

A. Xavier's done a great job. He really had. What occurred was he had a traffic ticket in 2007 in Othello and it wasn't paid. And college students move around – his address – he didn't receive any of the information that it was suspended. And then he got pulled over and then he found out then. So, that's the offense. It's something he has to learn from, obviously, but those mistakes are going to occur.

Q. Are there any repercussions?

A. We've got a few things we'll do to handle that, but for the most part, at this point, he's not going to be suspended.

Q. All of these issues that don't help the program from a PR perspective – how difficult has it been for you, personally?

A. It's been okay because there were a lot of problems initially and we've really kind of weeded a lot of them out, believe it or not. And we've dealt with it and these guys are learning, and that's part of a process of taking a new step. And one thing about Pullman is when you're there, you're viewed as a superstar in a lot of ways. But when you make a mistake, you're also viewed the same way in that kind of light.

Q. You hear about problems at other schools also, and it begs the question – how responsible can a coach be for his players? You have so much on your plate – you can't watch these guys 24 hours a day. So how do you prevent it?

A. You continue to recruit and educate, and develop them as leaders and great young men. I know when I was in college, if I made a mistake, I didn't blame my coach. It wasn't my coach's fault. It's pretty hard sitting in my seat now, to control everything that's going on out there. They're young men. They're gonna make mistakes as we all do – I don't think there's a person that's lived that hasn't made a mistake. Those things occur but we're here to fix them and help them. If they don't want to take the help, then they may have to do something else.

Q. What's your message to Washington State fans (who might be disappointed)?

A. We're in Pullman, Washington, like I said earlier. When kids make mistakes in Pullman, everyone's gonna know about them. But there's a bright side to that. When you're there as a student athlete, you're a little bit of a rock star status as well. Things like this happen all the time in larger cities, and you just don't find out about them because there's so many other things going on. That's just the nature of the beast.