WSU's Roof arrested on suspicion of assault

Washington State football player Andy Roof, who sat out last season after being suspended from school for repeated alcohol offenses, appeared to be intoxicated when he allegedly assaulted at least three men at a private party early Saturday morning, Pullman police said Tuesday.

Roof, the fourth WSU football player known to have been arrested since new head coach Paul Wulff was hired in December, was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault.

However, Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said Roof may eventually be charged with a felony, since at least one of Roof's alleged victims appeared to have suffered broken bones after he claimed Roof knocked him out by punching him when unprovoked.

Tennant said Roof, a redshirt senior from Spokane, was held in jail for several hours to sober up, but was not given a blood-alcohol test.

Roof, a second-string defensive tackle who started five games at offensive tackle in 2006, had told reporters during spring practice that he had stopped drinking.

Bill Stevens, sports information director at Washington State, said Wulff "is gathering facts" before determining whether Roof will be disciplined.

No team activities are scheduled until unofficial summer workouts in June, Stevens said.

Roof allegedly head-butted a bouncer when denied entry into a private party; punched a man in the face; then smashed a man's face into the sharp edge of a stop sign.

Elaine Voss, director of student conduct at WSU, said "there isn't a special rule" that would automatically result in Roof's expulsion for another alcohol incident.

"We try to work with students individually," Voss said. Not referring to Roof specifically, Voss added, "At some point, if behavior reaches a (dangerous) level, we have to say, 'We tried to help. You can't be in our community (school) anymore.' "