Originally published Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM

WSU Football | Xavier Hicks to miss 3 games

Xavier Hicks, the Washington State safety currently serving a 45-day sentence in the Whitman County Jail, will be suspended for the first...

By Craig Smith

Seattle Times staff reporter

Cougars forum

Xavier Hicks, the Washington State safety currently serving a 45-day sentence in the Whitman County Jail, will be suspended for the first three games of the season.

Hicks will miss the opener Aug. 30 in Seattle against Oklahoma State, the Sept. 6 home game against California and the Sept. 13 game at Baylor, said WSU sports-information director Bill Stevens.

Coach Paul Wulff decided on the punishment in consultation with the players council he formed after being named coach, Stevens said.

Hicks pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted assault and third-degree theft, both gross misdemeanors, in April after being charged initially with two felonies. The assault charge involved Hicks putting rubbing alcohol in the contact lens case of former teammate-roommate Grady Maxwell after a dispute over an unpaid cable-TV bill.

Maxwell never put the contact lenses in his eyes.

The theft case involved use of a stolen credit card.

Hicks could be released after 30 days in jail for good behavior. He faces fines, restitution and court costs of more than $2,300.

Hicks initially was suspended from the team when the charges were filed in February but later was allowed to participate in spring practice.

Hicks, who will be a redshirt junior in the fall, is the team's top returning free safety. He was No. 2 on the depth chart last season, started three games and played in 11. He was the No. 9 tackler on the team with 51 tackles, 25 of them solo.

Stevens also reported that there were no academic casualties on the team in the recently concluded spring semester. He said the team's accumulated grade point stands at 2.72 heading into summer sessions.

Last week, WSU was penalized eight scholarships because eight players who left the program during the 2006-07 academic year were academically ineligible.

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