A statement released by the Aggies' sports information department read, "Utah State University has followed all applicable NCAA procedures and applied consistent internal practices in declining the request for release.
"David Collette chose to leave Utah State two days prior to its season opening contest, which hamstrung the team in terms of recruiting a new player to that position or even practicing with other players [in] that position. The timing of David's decision to leave the team is the reason Utah State is handling his release this way."
On a conference call Tuesday morning, hours before the committee reached its decision, Duryea was asked about the Collette situation.