Greene, WSU football will part ways

PULLMAN – Washington State University assistant football coach Ken Greene will not continue with the program, multiple sources in the athletic department have confirmed.

Greene, who joined WSU’s staff in January 2003 shortly after Bill Doba became the head coach, is apparently working on an agreement with the university to finalize the terms of his departure, although WSU officials said the school will not release any information until the matter is resolved. That resolution – which, if the coach and the university can come to terms, would likely be in the form of a resignation – is expected soon, possibly as early as this morning.

Inappropriate conduct, unrelated to his duties as a football coach, has been cited by the sources as the reason for Greene’s departure.

Attempts to reach Greene and athletic director Jim Sterk for a comment were unsuccessful. Doba declined to comment on Greene’s situation or his plans to fill the void on his staff.

Doba informed his staff Monday afternoon that Greene would not maintain his position any longer, and it appears that Greene was first informed of the decision around that same time.

Greene has served as the Cougars’ defensive backs coach since his arrival, but a staff shuffle after the 2006 season restricted his duties to the cornerback position while former linebackers coach Leon Burtnett took over the safeties.

Greene, 51, played for the Cougars from 1974-77 and continued into the NFL as a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Before coming to WSU as a coach, Greene had stints as an assistant at Fresno State and Purdue.

At WSU, Greene coached a pair of future NFL cornerbacks in Jason David and Karl Paymah, but the secondary has struggled in recent seasons as the Cougars have failed to make a bowl since 2003.

Most players are at home or on vacation, but one player who is staying in Pullman through the summer indicated that the team had not been alerted to the situation as of Tuesday afternoon.