SEATTLE — The squeaky-clean image that University of Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian professes for his program has been a near reality for much of his three-year tenure with the Huskies.
But Tuesday’s opening of spring football brought reminders that not all is perfect for UW football.
When the Huskies returned to the practice field, two players with recent scrapes with the law were among the participants. The most surprising presence was that of sophomore running back Johri Fogerson, who was suspended indefinitely earlier this month but was in uniform and practicing Tuesday afternoon.
Fogerson pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to possessing of marijuana and resisting arrest, charges stemming from a March 3 incident near Mill Creek.
Asked whether Fogerson’s suspension had been lifted, Sarkisian said: “We’re not playing a game right now; I don’t have to worry about any suspensions.”
Sarkisian added that Fogerson would only be suspended for games.
What came as no surprise at Tuesday’s practice was that defensive end Josh Shirley was on the field and preparing for his first year of participation as a college athlete. Shirley redshirted last season after being a late signee to UW following his release from a UCLA scholarship.
Even before his freshman year at UCLA began, Shirley was one of three incoming freshmen football players charged with suspension of felony theft after allegedly stealing another student’s bag. The Huskies were quick to snap him up in a matter of weeks, and Sarkisian has no second thoughts about the decision.
“Sometimes we’re in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people — and that’s not necessarily indicative of who we are,” Sarkisian said. “We had a good relationship with Josh and his family throughout the recruiting process, and we knew him extremely well, and I didn’t think that was indicative of him, either. So we made the decision to give the guy a second chance because I thought he was deserving of it.”
Following the June 2010 incident, Shirley had to post bail but has not received any other known legal punishment from his arrest. He felt fortunate to have gotten a second chance.
“I felt very blessed, like a miracle’s happened,” said Shirley, who was not made available to the media during his redshirt season last fall. “Everybody deserves a second chance.”
UW wasn’t the only school to give Shirley a look following his arrest, but he felt like the Huskies were the best fit.
“I was just looking for a school to take me in and to forget about what happened,” he said Tuesday, “because that’s not really a part of my character.”
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