Defensive lineman Andy Roof is no longer a student at Washington State.

He was dismissed by the university today because of an allegedly alcohol fueled rampage in April.

Here's a quick rundown of that incident from my May 1st blog, My Thoughts On Andy Roof::

"WSU defensive lineman Andy Roof (a graduate of East Valley High School in Spokane) was arrested for assault at a late night party in Pullman. According to reports, Roof allegedly head-butted a guy when he wouldn't let him into a private party; punched another guy unprovoked; then slammed another person's head into a stop sign.

The police report (published in the Daily Activity Log on the Pullman Police Department website) shows that several police officers, the fire department, and EMS were called to the scene. They arrested Roof (who, according to several people at the party, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol) and booked him on suspicion of fourth-degree assault (a misdemeanor)."

Several other possible charges came up after that. I say "possible" because the Whitman County prosecutor's office still hasn't charged him with anything.

The biggest problem though is that this isn't Roof's first mistake. He missed all of last season after breaking WSU's "three-strike" alcohol policy (his previous offense was a DUI).

I was told at the start of spring practice that Wulff would like to give Roof a clean slate, since most of his troubles happened before he was hired. Then it came clear that Wulff was going to wait for the school's decision on allowing Roof to stay in school or not. He would have allowed Roof to play if the school didn't expell him.

The Cougars head coach responded to the dismissal today in a statement:

"I was very disappointed when I heard the decision," Wulff said. "Since I arrived on campus Andy has been a great leader for this program, on the field, in the locker room, in the classroom, and he's done everything we asked. From where he was a year ago he has changed his life around 180 degrees and as a coaching staff we have seen the positive impact he made on this program."

Roof's loss is a huge blow to a team that already lacks depth. He was listed as the backup to Matt Eichelberger at right defensive tackle on the team's first depth chart. It would have been Roof's first year on the defensive side of the ball, so who knows what he really would have been capable of.

No matter...Andy Roof is out.

1 Comments

tlewis said:

P.S. It sounds like offensive lineman Dan Rowlands is calling it quits.

Rowlands has battled "persistent, chronic pain" in both shoulders.

He was a fifth-year senior who played in 34 games for the Cougars, starting 21 of those contests.

August 26, 2008 11:00 PM

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