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Washington State AD, president to meet with local police

Kirby Lee / Reuters

In the wake of Washington State head coach Mike Leach's comments Tuesday, Cougars athletic director Bill Moos and president Kirk Schulz plan to meet with Pullman Police.

Leach spoke out about some of the recent legal issues for some of his players, questioning whether they were unfairly targeted by police.

"He's doing what any good football coach would do," Moos told ESPN's Kevin Gemmell. "He's trying to protect his players. There is no coach I've ever been around in my long career as an athletic director that is more of a disciplinarian than Mike Leach. He's got solid rules that pertain to drug testing, assault of women, and robbery that are no-tolerance. He's tough on fighting, too."

Moos added he reached out to Police Chief Gary Jenkins and the two mutually agreed on a meeting.

On Tuesday, linebacker Logan Tago was arrested for robbery and assault, while police recommended safety Shalom Luani be charged with assault stemming from a separate incident, prompting the statement from Leach.

Moos didn't necessarily agree with his coach's stance.

"I don't know if they are deliberately doing that," Moos said. I think our guys are the most recognizable. When you're in a group and there is a party ... a big guy stands out. This is an intimate enough campus. There, students know who the athletes are."

Jenkins told Thomas Clouse of The Spokesman-Review he defends his staff and had some concerns some of them may take Leach's comments the wrong way.

"I don’t take (the comments) personally. I am sensitive that my staff might," Jenkins said. "I just want to make it clear that my staff hasn’t done anything wrong in any way. But I completely understand where coach Leach is coming from.

"That impact is not lost on us," Jenkins added. "When we do conduct these investigations that involve athletes, we take them very seriously. That’s why we do take some time with them to ensure they are professional and thorough."

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