Report: Washington Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake's future still in doubt
It sounds like Jimmy Lake is on his way out of Seattle. That’s what former Washington captain Hugh Millen told 950-AM KJR in Seattle on Wednesday morning.
Mullen said Washington is in buyout talks with Lake and he won’t be with the program past this season. He said Lake could still coach a few more games, but it’s likely his last season with the Huskies.
Lake is in his second season as Washington head coach after six years as a defensive assistant, working his way up from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator in 2018. The Huskies are 7-6 overall since he took the top job, including a 4-5 record so far this season.
But Washington suspended Lake this week after a sideline altercation last week. That means Bob Gregory will be coaching this weekend against Arizona State. In the video, Lake appeared to hit redshirt freshman linebacker Ruperake Fuavai in the helmet. Lake shoved Fuavai back onto the sideline after he went back and forth with Oregon’s Jaylon Redd.
Lake won’t be the only coach missing from the sideline. Offensive coordinator John Donovan was fired this week after the Huskies scored 16 points against Oregon last week. Washington’s offense ranks 10th in the Pac-12, averaging 332.1 yards per game.
Jimmy Lake, Washington AD release statements about suspension
Lake denied any wrongdoing, but Washington athletic director Jen Cohen addressed the incident in a statement.
“Our staff has spent the last 24-plus hours reviewing video of the incident, as well as speaking with Coach Lake, the involved student athlete and several other student athletes and members of the staff, and I have made the decision to suspend Coach Lake for next Saturday’s game against Arizona State,” Cohen said, according to Athlon Sports’ Bryan Fischer.
“President Cauce, our Faculty Athletics Representative, Alexes Harris, and members of our executive staff are in agreement that while we do not believe that his actions were intentional or deliberate, we can have no tolerance for a coach interacting with a student in the manner Coach Lake did. We have high expectations of conduct for our coaches, and we will not shy away from those expectations.”
Lake released a statement of his own on Twitter, apologizing for his actions and accepting his suspension.
“I want to apologize to every member of our team, and in particular to Ruperake Fuavai, for my actions during our game on Saturday,” Lake wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I also want to apologize to president Cauce and Jen Cohen for putting the university in this position, I fully accept the decision that was made. Our team has a right to expect better than what I displayed on Saturday. And I’m committed to doing just that – being better so our program will reflect all that’s good about being a Washington Husky.”