WSU’s Jones kicked off team
COUGARS • UPDATED: 4:35 P.M.
We've got a short story on the link. An arrest at WSU and it leads to a dismissal. Read on ...
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• Here's the short piece ...
PULLMAN – Starting cornerback Brandon Jones, arrested and charged with driving under the influence early Saturday morning by the Washington State University police, was dismissed from the team Tuesday.
Football coach Paul Wulff decided to dismiss Jones for "violation of team rules," according to WSU sports information director Bill Stevens.
Jones, a senior-to-be, was arrested at 3:13 a.m. just north of campus, according to the police report.
Jones, who played at O'Dea High in Seattle, started his collegiate career at Cal, redshirting his first year in Berkeley. After playing a season for the Bears, he transferred to WSU and sat out the 2008 season.
He started 11 games for the Cougars in 2009, missing the Apple Cup with the lingering effects of a back injury first suffered against Notre Dame. He posted 37 tackles, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Jones also returned two kickoffs and a punt.
Pullman police arrested Jones last Nov. 30 in a domestic dispute. No charges were filed and the case was dropped in December, according to the Whitman County prosecutor's office.
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• I wasn't able to get comment from Wulff on this, so I can't answer the obvious questions, which are: Why was he dismissed as opposed to suspended? Were there other, earlier violations? Or is DUI so bad it has to be punished to this degree? I really don't have those answers, but if I can get them, I'll pass them along.
• UPDATE: There has been some discussion here about Jones' earlier arrest. I investigated that and discovered the Whitman County prosecutor's office didn't press charges and the case was closed in late December. I have added a line to the story above.
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• That's all for now. We'll be back at some point this evening with a basketball notebook. Until then ...
