I'm not sure how smoking weed can fall under the same category as 'Fighting' and 'Stealing'? Clearly both of those harm other people whereas smoking a joint does neither.

The guys who got kicked off the team showed no respect for their new coach, their team, and the school. If the first two guys getting axed didn't convince this guy to go straight, then he wouldn't be likely to listen to anything else the new staff was telling him either. Better to rid the team of this kind of behavior and disloyalty. They're on the team to focus on football and school. Period. Kudos to Coach Leach for showing them exactly where the line is.

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My friend goes to WSU and says he has seen Leach staking out around the bars there. he is on to everyone.

Look what weed did to a good cougar basketball team last year!! It totally distracted everyone from the task at hand...probably because they were to stoned to notice that they were sucking. They were all to focused on other activities. These kids should be focused on two things and two things only...Academics and Athletics. These are scholarship athletes and there is no place for any illegal activity, even if it is as harmless as weed...very simple. These guys are selected to represent the school on a national level, mess up and get sent packing.

Personal accountability. If you start allowing gray areas (in instances like this) it will become a very slippery slope. Everyone knows where the line is, there is no ambiguity.

whenever a new coach takes over--especially one with a big price tag and big expectations put on him from the Cougar athletic dept. The guy made the rules clear to all the players upon his arrival. Zero-tolerance means just that. I applaud him for making a tough decision that will affect his team. If you don't like it, just remember what all those glory seasons were like under Wulff and Doba.

Michigan State QB & hopefully the Seahawks next QB Kirk Cousins is the kind of guy I was talking about in my earlier post. The guy who does the right thing for his school, team mates, and kids all over the country. Setting a good example and representing your position and the people who put you in that position is as important or maybe more important than being a good player. Check out his speech at the Big 10 Kickoff dinner last fall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp15N9BbYgY

Can Mike Leach retroactively suspend Ryan Leaf fromthe program?

Leach is definitely going to make some folks unhappy with his zero tolerance policy, but I definitely respect him for it. It gets very frustrating to see some of the junk some of these college athletes do and get away with. Let's see....I think Venoy Overton was probably one that frustrated me the most. These athletes need to not be a distraction to their team. If you want to party, have fun, commit crimes, and play sports then join some sort of club sports or community leagues. Leach is here to make this a winning team and that requires committment from players and coaches alike. Great start, Leach. Looking forward to seeing the Cougs win some games!

Your comments are very much "middle of the road" concerning marijuana and being held responsible under a no tolerance policy as a member of a sports team; remember that these men were given an opportunity to play and earned a right to play on a college sports team. They also knew the rules and the image that they should maintain, both on and off the field to their fellow teammates, students and kids inspired by their actions. They chose to violate the rule, and the law, by using marijuana. That then forfeits their position as a member of the Cougar Football team. It either means something to be a member of the team and to abide by the rules or it does not. Whether they are a member of the team or not there are programs available to help with their decisions to use marijuana not affiliated with the football program. However, whether they choose to partake or not is yet another grownup decision that they must make. Coach Leach's policy is fair and if the Cougars are going to grow as a team they have to be accountable, both on and off the field.