WSU player gets 45 days in jail

PULLMAN – Washington State football player Xavier Hicks Jr. agreed to a plea bargain Friday and was sentenced to 45 days in jail for theft and assault charges.

Hicks, 21, was charged in February with second-degree assault after he allegedly put rubbing alcohol in a former teammate’s contact lens case. Hicks’ roommate, Grady Maxwell, did not put the contacts in his eyes.

In the plea bargain, Hicks pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree assault and third-degree theft, both misdemeanors, said his attorney, Steve Martonick. The original second-degree assault charge was a felony.

Hicks’ jail time starts July 1.

WSU head coach Paul Wulff was not available for comment late Tuesday. Throughout spring practice, Hicks practiced with the team but fulfilled discipline given to him by the team’s Unity Council, a panel of coaches and athletes that decides team punishments.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Hicks, a free safety, will receive further discipline.

Nick Eaton