Davis Says He’ll Stay, For Now

Despite a suggestion from his coach that he transfer, Chad Davis has decided to stay at Washington State - for the time being, at least - and compete for the starting quarterback job he lost late last fall.

“As of right now, I’m staying,” Davis said Thursday night.

But the 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior, who started 21 consecutive games before being benched late last fall for what coach Mike Price called a “negative and non-supportive” attitude, did not rule out the possibility of transferring following the spring semester.

And neither did Price, noting that Davis “doesn’t need to decide anything right now.”

Price said he met with Davis Wednesday to discuss his future in the program, but he refused to comment on what took place during that meeting.

Price also met with Davis’ mother, DeAnn, back in November, shortly after Davis was benched, and reportedly told her that it would be in her son’s best interest to transfer.

Price refused to discuss his meeting with Davis’ mother, but said he could not deny having suggested a transfer.

“It’s my policy that player meetings and player parent conferences are private and confidential,” Price said. “So I don’t have anything to say one way or another on the situation.

“Whatever (Davis) says or his mom says, that’s their prerogative.”

Davis, who transferred to WSU from Oklahoma in 1993 and sat out that season under the NCAA’s transfer rule, started all 12 games for the Cougars in 1994 and the first nine last fall.

He was benched following an unexpected 27-11 loss at California.

Davis was replaced during the second quarter of that game by redshirt freshman Ryan Leaf and responded by retreating to the far end of the bench, as far away from Price, his position coach, as he could get.

Price played Davis in the final two quarters, but then benched him the following week for what he said was a long-festering attitude problem. It surfaced later that Davis had a verbal run-in during the Cal game with offensive line coach Lawrence Livingston.

Since then, Price has given no indication that he wants Davis to return next fall, but he said Thursday that he has no immediate plans to pull his scholarship.

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