The University of Washington parted ways with football coach Jimmy Lake on Sunday fewer than two full seasons into his tenure.
The move comes amid disappointing results on the field and a growing off-field controversy centered around his treatment of players. Lake was suspended for this week’s 35-30 loss to Arizona State after he was caught on camera shoving linebacker Ruperake Fuavai during the previous week’s loss to Oregon. Subsequently, another incident surfaced where five unnamed witnesses told the Seattle Times that Lake had gotten physical with a player at halftime of a game against Arizona in 2019 when he was the defensive coordinator.
Washington will fire Lake without cause, meaning he stands to collect $9.9 million in buyout money subject to offsets for earnings at his next job.
Lake, who was hand-picked by former coach Chris Petersen to be his successor at Washington, ends his tenure with a 7-6 record. After coaching just four games last season due to COVID-19 issues, the discontent around Lake started immediately in 2021 when he lost the season opener to Montana, 13-7.
Struggles on offense continued throughout the season, leading to a decision earlier this month to fire coordinator John Donovan. Lake drew more backlash before the Oregon game, when he told reporters that Washington recruits against more “academically prowess” schools like Southern Cal and Stanford rather than the Ducks.
Washington’s decision marks the sixth Power Five conference job to open already, joining TCU, Texas Tech, Washington State, USC and LSU.
Source link
