In Case of the Missing Huskies, Will These 2 Defenders Finally Play?
The University of Washington football team surprised everyone when it sent redshirt freshman Dylan Morris trotting onto the field as the starting quarterback against Oregon State in the opener. His ascension was a well-kept secret.
OK, nicely played.
Jimmy Lake's Huskies next caught a whole lot of people off guard four plays into their second game against Arizona last weekend when they pulled off a successful fake punt — from the UW 31 — that set the tone.
Well executed.
So what's next from the Lake early-game bag of tricks?
Here's a new one: How about subbing in sophomore defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa and sophomore outside linebacker Laiatu Latu against Utah at some point, removing much of the mystery surrounding their two-game absences?
Or just explain what happened to them. Their situation is bordering on the ridiculous.
Typical of the UW, these two players have been listed as defensive starters for three consecutive weeks now, including this one — and they haven't played a single down for the Huskies.
The usually congenial Lake steadfastly refuses to address the players' physical status or team standing, almost acting as if they don't exist.
When queried about these two specific players, the first-year Husky coach declined on game night, saying he would address their situation on Monday, However, he changed his mind by over 36 hours, telling everyone he wasn't going to discuss any injuries or reasons why players aren't available, so use your questions for something else.
Oh.
Lake insists this is being done for competitive reasons, that he wasn't hiding anything. It seemed more like overkill.
If these two Huskies aren't going to play for an extended period of time — which is now the case — what's the point of all the secrecy regarding their well-being?
Without an explanation, Letuligaseno and Laiatu very well could be injured in some manner, though the former player was seen in his uniform standing on the sidelines during the opener without his helmet on, instead wearing a pandemic mask.
They could be suspended for some team infraction or scholastic reason, which is embarrassing but happens to collegiate players. See Quade Green.
Not wishing this on anyone, the two football players very well could be dealing with COVID-19 issues. That would explain the total lack of information coming out of the school regarding their health.
Citing privacy restrictions, the UW for months has reported the number of active positive virus tests among its athletes, but adamantly refused to identify the individuals or even the sports involved, citing privacy limitations.
Which is just fine, except the school randomly made an exception when a large number of unknown baseball players recently became ill and that program immediately was shut down.
With Letuligasenoa and Laiatu, it's anyone's guess at what's keeping two of the Huskies' better football players from going on the field.
Well before the opener was held, the Huskies made Letuligasenoa available to reporters for a virtual interview session, a chore typically reserved only for the team's prominent players.
If they're absent for virus reasons, that would explain Lake's resistance in speaking about them in any manner whatsoever.
Just this week, the UW said three athletes were going through protocols for positive virus tests without identifying them or their sports.
If Letuligaseno and Laiatu remain unavailable and unexplainable for reasons other than the virus, the information blackout is overly silly now.
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