According to Cougfan, four players have left the football team, three of their own accord and one being encouraged to leave or dismissed. Redshirt sophomores Blair Bomber, Tyrone Duckett and Matthew Simmons along with freshman Spencer Waseem are all off the football roster. Cougfan isn't able to specify which player was either kicked off the team or given the opportunity to depart before getting the boot. Bomber is the only player leaving from the offensive side (wide receiver) with the other three all playing in the secondary.

Depth wise, this isn't a big dent in WSU's side considering none of them had even played this year and weren't going to unless a lot of guys at their position came down with serious injuries. They might have seen some time on special teams later on but in all likelihood, all four were spending the season on the sidelines.

Personally though, these departures mean a little more. I'd always rooted for Bomber, an undersized kid from a tiny farming community looking to make it at a Pac-12 school. If he'd done it, Bomber could've pitched a Rudy sequel to Sony Entertainment.

But Matt Simmons' absence means a lot more. His father, Randal Simmons, was a cornerback for Washington State in the mid-1970s. After a very brief spell in the NFL, Simmons went into law enforcement and was tragically killed in February 2008 after serving with the LAPD for 27 years. A little over a year after his father's death, Matt committed to Washington State, saying he felt like it was home. His departure from the team means a little more than the others.

From a purely football stand point, these withdrawals don't mean very much. None of these players were going to see the field this year. It just stinks when players you were rooting for leave, regardless of the reason.