<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Courtesy of the Spokesman-Review at:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2015/09/Hints_of_something_hidden_by_UI_football.pdf">http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2015/09/Hints_of_something_hidden_by_UI_football.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div>--------------------------------------</div><div>
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<p><span style="font-size: 24.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman,Bold'"><b>Hints of something hidden by UI football </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman,Bold'"><b>Devin Rokyta/Moscow-Pullman Daily News Editorial Board </b></span></p>
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</div><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">A group of University of Idaho football players took several hundred dollars worth of clothing,
without paying, from the UI VandalStore on Aug. 16.
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">That we know.<br>
It also seems undebatable that:
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The store was closed to the public and open only to the football team when the clothing
went missing, causing the store manager to call the police.
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">A police report indicates $369.99 worth of merchandise was taken - although a statement
from the UI says the value of the merchandise was only $285.
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The entire incident was captured on surveillance video.
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Two UI football graduate assistants at the store were asked who would be responsible for
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">identifying the alleged suspects. A coach and team official were called and came to view
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">the video.
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">A short time later UI football coach Paul Petrino showed up with the stolen merchandise
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">in hand and had a conversation with a bookstore official in an office. Following that
conversation the bookstore reversed course, stopped cooperating with the police and
decided not to pursue charges against the players.
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">After that, thanks to ongoing efforts by the university and the athletic department, things become
murky.
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Petrino said last week the situation was handled internally, but he declined to elaborate on the
identities of the players or the severity of the punishment. He also said he didn't believe his
players were given special treatment. The university issued a similar statement, saying, "Under
the same circumstances, the university would have taken the same action with any other
student(s)."
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Obviously, relatively few students have coaches who can be called on to return their stolen
goods. To say otherwise is laughable, and the university and its officials should be ashamed for
suggesting such.
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Meanwhile, the Daily News has been encouraged by more than one source to pursue the story. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">And we are.
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<p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">We don't know what we will find. Maybe it is nothing more than a few immature freshman
swiping some clothes. Maybe it's more than that. </span></p></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div>--------------------------------------<br><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stay tuned, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div> </div></div></body></html>