LEWISTON – Jalen Thompson’s No. 34 is no longer lurking in Washington State’s secondary.
Even if they’d prefer the player instead of his spirit, the Cougars are glad to see the safety’s attitude and work ethic ever-present in the defensive backfield.
Thompson’s departure from WSU was as swift and sudden as departures come – the bona fide leader of the Cougars’ secondary one day, an NFL hopeful the next.
In July, the NCAA revoked his final year of college eligibility because the safety allegedly purchased an over-the-counter supplement at a local nutrition store.
Thompson shifted his goals, from anchoring the Cougars’ back end one last time to preparing for the NFL’s supplemental draft, where the Arizona Cardinals eventually made him a fifth-round pick.