The Idaho Vandals football team keeps making it into the news off the field as well.

An email sent out Monday to Idaho team members and local media accusing Vandal coach Paul Petrino of, among other things, excessive vulgar language and NCAA practice violations.

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reached out to the emailer, who went by the screen name “Joe Adams” (there is no player by that name on the team roster), but he said he did not want to reveal his identity until the end of the season, “so I don’t lose my scholarship.”

Members of the football team sent out an email debunking the allegations.

According to a transcript posted by Theo Lawson of the Lewiston Tribune, Petrino responded to the email and the allegations on Tuesday.

“It’s an email by someone who won’t sign their name,” Petrino said. “What I stand by is what our captains came out, and what they wrote. What the whole team predominantly signed. I know that I come to work every day and work as hard as I can. I know we’ve never broken any NCAA rules. We had two days of two-a-days this last fall camp. So we coach as hard as we can, we work as hard as we can and I really firmly believe that. There were so many players that came in and out of my office yesterday. They know the love I have for them, they know that I have their back and I live by how I work.”

The University of Idaho then released a statement saying it was looking into the allegations.

“Our players addressed it and they said it’s just someone trying to tear us apart, someone who’s trying to pull us apart. Someone who has their own agenda. And if you read the letter close, you can tell it’s someone who’s never played football before.”

Idaho (1-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) plays at Arkansas State (1-3, 0-0) on Saturday.

Notes: Petrino said sophomore starting quarterback Matt Linehan is “questionable” for Saturday’s game with an ankle injury suffered in last week’s Sun Belt-opening loss at home to Georgia Southern. Petrino said it was “70/30” that he would play, but that he would be confident using backup Jake Luton, a redshirt freshman, if Linehan couldn’t go. ... Senior receiver Dezmon Epps is the national leader in receiving yards per game after totaling more than 100 yards for the third time in as many games. Epps, who had eight catches for 165 yards against Georgia Southern, is averaging 154.7 receiving yards per game to lead the country. His average of 11 receptions per game is tops in the Sun Belt and second nationally, and his total yardage of 464 also leads the Sun Belt and is sixth nationally. ... Linehan is the Sun Belt leader in total passing yards (1,109), which is 19th nationally. He is third in the league and 28th nationally in passing yards per game (277.3), and third in the league and 23rd nationally in total offense per game (302.3).