WSU linebacker Logan Tago, facing charges in a robbery, is suspended from football activities

Washington State linebacker Logan Tago is suspended from football activities per school policy while under charges for felony robbery and gross misdemeanor assault, university president Kirk Schulz told Spokane TV station SWX this week.

WSU policy is that players charged with a felony will not be allowed to participate until the case is resolved, barring extraordinary circumstances.

Coach Mike Leach said earlier this week that he believes players should be allowed to play until they are proven guilty.

However, when asked if he would pursue discussions to change the policy regarding player suspensions, Leach deferred to Shulz, saying, “He’s the boss.”

Tago’s first court date is scheduled for Nov. 4, meaning he will miss at least the next three games and presumably more than that before his case is resolved.

Besides the initial hearing, the case could require motions to be filed and take some time to go to trial, barring a plea deal.

Even a plea deal could require a lengthy wait if the defense needs to mount a case in order to gain leverage.

Tago, a sophomore, started at rush linebacker in two games this season for WSU, including last Saturday’s 42-16 win over Stanford.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch says junior Dylan Hanser, who has started three games at rush linebacker, continues to get better with every game.

“We try to get the next best 11 (players) behind our best 11,” Grinch said, when asked about potentially moving players to rush linebacker with Tago gone.

“However we have to do that, we’ll do that. If that means position changes, or strictly depth changes, that’s what we’ll do,” Grinch said.

Tago has been charged by the Whitman County prosecutor, in Superior Court, for second-degree robbery and fourth-degree assault after allegedly striking a Pullman resident and taking his beer.

UCLA QB STATUS UNCLEAR

UCLA coach Jim Mora is not telling saying whether starting quarterback Josh Rosen will be healthy enough to play against Washington State on Saturday.

“If he’s ready to play, he will play,” Mora said this week.

Rosen sustained two injuries during UCLA’s loss to Arizona State last Saturday. He returned from a lower-body injury that happened in the second quarter, but apparently injured his throwing shoulder when he was sacked with less than four minutes remaining in the game.

Rosen threw for a career-high 400 yards in the 23-20 defeat.

The Bruins need their passing game to be on point against the surging WSU defense since they are averaging a hair under 100 rushing yards per game and 2.95 yards per carry.

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "WSU linebacker Logan Tago, facing charges in a robbery, is suspended from football activities."