How many chances will one player receive?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The University of Idaho’s football team is in the L.A. Coliseum today to face the eighth-ranked USC Trojans. The Vandals are six-touchdown underdogs. A close game might be perceived as victory. Yet, in reality, nothing that happens today will be considered a win. Not even if they pull off the season’s biggest upset. See, the Vandals have already lost something more important this week. They lost their soul. Read on.

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• Yesterday, UI identified a couple players captured on video allegedly taking more then $250 worth of items from the VandalStore last month. In fact, the school released a statement based on viewing the video from the security cameras. One player, Isaiah Taylor, is no longer on the football team. The other, Dezmon Epps, shouldn’t be. But he is. And, according to a story by Jacob Thorpe , he will play today against the Trojans. Oh, he won’t start like he did last week. That wouldn’t do. But he will play. Just like he did when Idaho opened its season against Ohio, a team it had a chance to defeat. The Vandals didn’t of course – they have won only a single game each of the past two seasons under head coach Paul Petrino – but not due to the play of Epps. The senior caught 15 passes for 160 yards, both team highs and more than half the team’s receiving yardage. But that’s also only half the story. Petrino must have known it was Epps who was on the security tape. He must have known back in August, when he talked with the folks who run the store. After all, he knew enough to track down the ill-gotten goods and have them returned. The players who were involved, UI said then, would be punished internally. No names were released and the matter was swept under the rug. Except it made a big enough bump to still trip over.

• Epps has tripped over a lot of bumps in his time in Moscow. Two years ago the 5-foot-10, 175-pound wideout led the Vandals with 79 receptions for 980 yards, more than double what any other UI receiver was able to amass. He seemed poised to have another breakout season last year but he never took the field. In April of 2014 he was arrested for misdemeanor DUI, according to Jacob’s story. Three months later he was charged with stealing $37.72 worth of groceries from WinCo Foods. At the time, that was enough for Petrino. He dismissed Epps from the team, stating … “Our student-athletes will understand that there will be discipline in our program. They will learn the responsibility they have in representing themselves, the football program, and the University of Idaho in the right manner. We will hold our student-athlete’s accountable for their actions at all times as character and integrity will always be a priority in our program.” Yet Petrino has a heart too. He understands college kids screw up and part of his responsibility as a head coach is to try to help them learn from their mistakes. So when Epps, a California kid, stuck around (despite not playing during the 2014 season) and showed he was willing to follow rules, Petrino relented, reinstating Epps last spring.

• There’s nothing wrong with giving a college kid a second chance, even if, technically, Epps had already used his do-over with the DUI and the theft. Then, over the summer, according to Jacob’s story, Epps was jailed for two days for driving without a mandated interlock device. That was chance No. 3. If Epps was going to be held “accountable for (his) actions at all times,” it didn’t seem to be that time. Then came the incident at the VandalStore Aug. 16. The incident itself, if not the players involved, became public knowledge almost immediately. The merchandise was returned. But the act of theft is sort of hard to ignore, don’t you think? And one of those involved turned out to be Epps. Strike four, if you will. But not enough to send Epps to the bench. Not then, not now. Petrino did issue a statement yesterday, stating, in part, “… Part of my responsibility to our players is to call them out when they make mistakes, hold them accountable, and help them to learn and move forward as people who are equipped to make good choices.” But what happens when a player doesn’t seem to be learning, when the same mistakes are repeated again and again? What part of player accountability are we missing? And where is Petrino’s accountability? In yesterday’s statement, the coach mentioned Taylor and stated the defensive back did not follow the requirements set down after the incident. That’s why he’s no longer on the team. Epps, however, is following them, according to Petrino and “as long as he continues to abide by these requirements, there is a place for him in the Vandal family.” Weren’t these requirements, or similar ones, insisted upon after the 2014 DUI arrest? After the first theft? After he was re-instated to the team? After the interlock incident? Second chances show compassion. Third and fourth chances can be construed as weakness – and a lack of conviction.

• At the least, Epps’ actions should have merited something along the lines of a game suspension, and not after the university identified the players involved. After all, his identity was already known within the program. By allowing Epps to play against Ohio and then slapping his wrist before the USC game, it looks as if he is not being punished for the action itself but for the revelation of the action. And where is athletic director Rob Spear and university president Chuck Staben in all this? The school’s brand has taken a few hits recently due to their football coach’s actions and Staben, for one, has been eerily silent. Jacob attempted to give the president and athletic director a chance to support their coach yesterday and neither returned calls – or released a statement. That’s in marked contrast to the recent incident between Petrino and a Moscow-Pullman Daily News reporter. Spear was prominent in his support then, issuing a joint statement the next day, backing Petrino’s view of the event if not his language. Yesterday, nothing. Interpret that how you will. Today, Epps will be on the field in Los Angeles as the Vandals attempt to upset the Trojans. No matter the outcome, however, the tally from the most recent referendum on the program’s reputation has already been determined. It’s a loss. A big loss.

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• WSU: The Cougars face an important test today in New Jersey, facing Rutgers in what seems to be a make-or-break game for Mike Leach’s program. Jacob has an advance of the game as well as the keys for Washington State. … We also can pass along the starters for both teams . … It’s Saturday, so most Pac-12 teams are in action. To get you ready, we have the mailbag from ESPN.com’s Pac-12 blog and Jacob will have a post with links up soon. Until then, though, you’ll have to be satisfied with these links from New Jersey-area newspapers. They have advances , picks , keys and more . … Stefanie Loh has an advance of the Rutgers game in the Times. … Utah lost its starting quarterback last night in its rivalry against Utah State but not the game.

• Gonzaga: The Bulldogs’ volleyball team continued to roll last night.

• EWU: The Eagles are in Iowa for a game that may mean even more, in the long run, than last week’s contest at Oregon. Jim Allen has an advance and a morning post with Big Sky links.

• Idaho: No matter the Epps’ situation , there is still today’s game in the Coliseum, with USC expecting to play a bunch of young guys with the hope they protect their all-important quarterback better.

• Whitworth: The Poets from Whittier invade the Pine Bowl today. Tom Clouse has an advance of the game.

• Preps: As is always the case on Saturday mornings this time of year, we have a boatload of links. We start with Greg Lee’s game story from U-Hi’s 14-7 win over Post Falls played in Cheney. … Out at Albi, Richland dominated Shadle Park, 52-0. Tom has that story and another on North Central’s 33-26 comeback win over Moscow. … Jim Meehan has the coverage as Central Valley got back in the win column with a 26-0 win over host Lake City. … Gonzaga Prep rallied for a 34-28 overtime win over Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma. … We also can pass along a roundup of other games in the area.

• Seahawks: If you were holding out hope Kam Chancellor would miraculously show up in St. Louis and fill his usual strong safety spot, don’t. It’s not happening this week . … The Rams have a well-earned reputation for trickery and the Hawks have been prepping for it all offseason. … It’s been an offseason full of challenges , so let’s just play the game already. … Marshawn Lynch’s stunt vis-à-vis Chancellor’s jersey was OK with Carroll . Once.

• Mariners: The M’s pitched well . But the hitting was a bit off and Colorado posted a 4-2 win . … James Paxton will try to take the mound Sunday.

• Sounders: The Sounders will be without, arguably, their most important player tonight for the key match with San Jose. Of course, the Earthquakes will be missing important players as well. And a new stadium to show off and play in .

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• After the Rutgers game and after the postgame show, I’ll join Derek Deis for the call-in show. I know no one will be driving home from the game – well, I hope not – but we’ll be there anyway. Be nice. Until later …