Washington football has suspended head coach Jimmy Lake without pay for the game against Arizona State.
The suspension follows an internal investigation within Washington football’s athletic department. During the Huskies Week 10 game against the Oregon Ducks, Jimmy Lake was seen striking and then shoving student-athlete Ruperake Fuavai.
Lake has already been on the hot seat following his inability to make adjustments for this football team. This incident doesn’t make matters any better for him and a firing is likely very imminent.
The Jimmy Lake experiment is coming to an end
This suspension is very well the first step in relieving Lake of his head coaching duties. One Twitter user went on to explain that by suspending Lake, the program can avoid a buyout after the contract is terminated due to gross violation.
If the incident is not a factor in his firing, he can argue that he was fired for performance reasons and earn his buyout.
You can read the whole thread here:
Said this privately to a few people, but putting it out there now: In all likelihood, Jimmy Lake's suspension is just a step in the firing process. Here is a thread explaining why.
— DawgProcess (Berhalter OUT) (@DLock4MVP) November 8, 2021
What’s next for the team?
Offensive coordinator John Donovan was fired yesterday, weeks after he reasonably should have been let go. Wide receivers coach Junior Adams was announced to be the play-caller moving forward.
After today’s announcement on Lake, defensive coordinator Bob Gregory will be the interim head coach for the Huskies against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Washington has had trouble getting the passing game going all season and often waited until the second half to start targeting their receivers. With Adams at OC, hopefully, they can get the passing game going early.
The question then is just whether or not quarterback Dylan Morris will hold the team back. If he does, then Gregory needs to make the decision to put either transfer Patrick O’Brien in or freshman Sam Huard.