Woods said he had been removed from a team group text message chat and told to clean out his lockerGETTY IMAGES
Washington State WR Kassidy Woods said that head coach Nick Rolovich was "understanding of the players' health predicament" when deciding whether to participate this season, but he claims the coach "wasn't as empathetic when it came to his desire to participate" in the Pac-12's #WeAreUnited movement, according to Theo Lawson of the Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW. The movement was rolled out yesterday by Pac-12 players who are "threatening to boycott the fall season if the conference doesn’t meet a specific list of demands." Rolovich said that Woods' involvement with the group "could impact his status on the team in the future." When Rolovich asked Woods if he would be joining the unity group, the player "indicated he planned to." Woods paraphrased Rolovich as saying, "That's going to be an issue if you align with them as far as future stuff, right?" Woods said that he had "been removed from a team group text message chat and was instructed to clean out his locker" by today. It was "understood by Woods that his medical concerns wouldn't jeopardize his future with the Cougars, even if he couldn't be with the team during the upcoming season." But Rolovich's comments indicated WSU "would handle the situation one way if its 'COVID related' and another way 'if it's joining the (unity) group'" (Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW, 8/3).
MIXED MESSAGES: In Washington, Dale Grummert notes Woods yesterday posted to SoundCloud a "recording of a phone conversation in which he informs Rolovich he has a medical condition that raises his concerns about the coronavirus pandemic." Woods said that he was "opting out of the season, and Rolovich in response say's that's within his rights, echoing the policy of the Pac-12 and WSU in regard to the virus." In the recording, Rolovich has a "more complicated attitude about Woods' support of the possible boycott." Audibility "isn't always perfect, but his message to Woods seems to imply more than it states" (MOSCOW-PULLMAN DAILY NEWS, 8/3).
UP IN THE AIR: WSU DB Pat Nunn and DL Dallas Hobbs said that their status with the team is "uncertain after informing Rolovich they are part of the athletes' group threatening not to play this season." Hobbs said, "It's a muddled mess right now. I think no one knows exactly how to handle it, so it's still something that's in the air." USA TODAY's Josh Peter cites a source as saying that Rolovich called a team meeting last night to "address the issues" (USA TODAY, 8/3).
