SPOKANE — Top quarterback recruit Calvin Schmidtke will be released from his agreement to play football at Washington State University next season, coach Paul Wulff said Wednesday.
Schmidtke was arrested in Pierce County recently for investigation in a variety of traffic and controlled substance violations.
The Lakes High School star was one of the top players in the state last year, throwing for 2,724 yards and 37 touchdowns. Schmidtke was one of 25 players signed in Wulff’s first recruiting class at WSU in February.
“We have begun the process to allow Calvin the opportunity to be released from his National Letter of Intent and pursue his academic and athletic opportunities at another university,” Wulff said in a statement. “We feel this is in the best interest of both Washington State University and Calvin.”
He is still in high school and would have enrolled at WSU in the fall. Football spokesman Bill Stevens said the team would not comment further on Schmidtke’s case.
According to The News Tribune of Tacoma, Schmidtke has received 11 citations from law enforcement in the past 18 months, seven of them for traffic violations.
The WSU football team recently lost eight scholarships when it failed to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate standards for the past four years. Several players have been in trouble with the law.
Wulff, hired in December to replace Bill Doba, has vowed to clean up the program.
Defensive tackle Andy Roof, who sat out the 2007 season because of alcohol-related arrests, was involved in a fight at a party in Pullman in April.
Safety Xavier Hicks pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and assault charges in April, and he is currently serving a 45-day jail sentence in Whitman County. Wulff suspended him for the first three games of the upcoming season.
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