In his weekly Cheers & Jeers column, Opinion Writer Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune cheers University of Idaho football coach Paul Petrino.

File his decision to cut senior wide receiver Dezmon Epps from the Vandals team under the heading "late, but better late than never." It took more than Epps, a talented but troubled player, to taint the UI's brand, of course. For that, you can credit Petrino and UI Athletic Director Rob Spear -- who bent the rules on behalf of their talented player. As the school year opened, Epps and cornerback Isaiah Taylor were caught on video shoplifting about $370 worth of clothing from the UI VandalStore. It was Petrino - not the players - who returned to the store with the merchandise. The case was dropped in favor of sanctions under the UI student code of conduct. After stonewalling for weeks, the UI eventually released the video - which implicated the two players. Taylor got dropped. But Epps -- who'd already got a second chance after piling up an earlier record of drunken driving, driving without privileges and petty theft - got his third chance. More here.

Question: Did Coach Paul Petrino help erase the black mark on his program by finally -- finally -- cutting Dezmon Epps?