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Ex-Cougar safety, current Oakland Raider Shalom Luani attends Washington State-Cal game

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2015, file photo, Washington State safety Shalom Luani watches after an NCAA college football game against Arizona State in Pullman, Wash. The Pullman Police Department is recommending that Luani be charged with second degree assault for a fight outside a pizza restaurant in August. The Whitman County prosecuting attorney's office will make the decision on whether Luani is ultimately charged with the felony. Washington State football spokesman Bill Stevens said Luani will play in Saturday's game against Idaho. (AP Photo/Young Kwak File) ORG XMIT: NY184 (Young Kwak / AP)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

BERKELEY, Calif. – The Cougars were playing in his backyard, so former WSU safety Shalom Luani came by to visit the Washington State football team on Thursday, then attended Friday’s game between his alma mater and Cal at Memorial Stadium.

Luani, who played for WSU in 2015 and 2016, was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Luani made noise with his play in the NFL preseason, but hasn’t recorded any defensive stats for the Raiders through five games of the regular season.

According to a WSU official, Luani gave a motivational message to the Cougars on Thursday and passed out Raiders hats to a few of his old teammates.

Luani was able to make Friday’s game because Oakland plays at home on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Former WSU defensive lineman Xavier Cooper is playing professional football nearby, with the San Francisco 49ers, but he’d already left with the 49ers for a Sunday game in Washington D.C.