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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Seahawks release ex-WSU player Trufant

NFL: Marcus Trufant’s balky back and lofty salary finally led to the end of his career with his hometown team.

Trufant (pictured above) was released by Seattle on Wednesday after nine seasons as a constant in the Seahawks’ secondary, but was saddled with back problems the last few years.

Drafted by Seattle with the 11th overall pick in 2003, Trufant started all but one of the 124 regular-season games he played with the Seahawks. He also started all nine postseason games he played with the team. He finished his career with Seattle with 21 interceptions – returning two for touchdowns. Trufant was voted to the Pro Bowl after recording a career-high seven interceptions during the 2007 season.

Trufant was a fan favorite having grown up in nearby Tacoma and was a college star at Washington State. But back problems shortened two of his past three seasons.

Salary was also a factor. Trufant was scheduled to make $7.2 million according to the NFL Players Association.

Associated Press

EWU women set for Hornets

College basketball: Eastern Washington begins postseason play today in Pocatello where the Eagles will look to get back on track at the Big Sky Conference tourney.

The third-seeded Eagles are on a four-game slide, while the No. 6 Sacramento State Hornets have won four straight games, including a win over regular-season champion Idaho State.

The Eagles and Hornets will start at 4 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup. EWU defeated Sacramento State in both regular-season meetings.

If EWU wins, it will face No. 2 Northern Colorado on Friday in the semifinals.

Jess Brown