Epps making (bad) news again
MARK NELKE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 3 months AGO
Mark Nelke covers high school and North Idaho College sports, University of Idaho football and other local/regional sports as a writer, photographer, paginator and editor at the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has been at The Press since 1998 and sports editor since 2002. Before that, Mark was the one-man sports staff for 16 years at the Bonner County Daily Bee in Sandpoint. Earlier, he was sports editor for student newspapers at Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University. Mark enjoys the NCAA men's basketball tournament and wiener dogs — and not necessarily in that order. | September 12, 2015 9:00 PM
Dezmon Epps, Idaho's leading receiver in 2013 and after one game this season, was one of two Vandal players identified in a shoplifting incident last month at the VandalStore.
The other was defensive back Isaiah Taylor.
Items involved in the shoplifting incident were returned to the store by Idaho coach Paul Petrino, and the players were disciplined internally.
"Isaiah chose not to comply with our requirements and is no longer on the football team," Petrino said in a statement. "Dezmon thus far has met our requirements and has complied with the sanctions we imposed. As long as he continues to abide by these requirements, there is a place for him in the Vandal family."
The names of the players involved were released to the media Friday. In the light of the names being released, it was uncertain whether Epps would play start today, or play at all, when Idaho (0-1) visits No. 8 USC (1-0). The Trojans (1-0) were already favored by more than six touchdowns.
In any event, Petrino is looking for a better defensive effort from the Vandals, who yielded 489 total yards to Ohio.
"If we can tackle these guys, then we should have a good chance to tackle anybody the rest of the year, because they've got some skilled players," Petrino said.
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