Washington 'looking into' sideline incident involving Jimmy Lake

Washington Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Washington 'looking into' sideline incident involving head coach Jimmy Lake

By Adam Stites | Last updated 11/7/21

The Washington Huskies fell to 4-5 with a 26-16 loss to the Oregon Ducks, but it was a sideline interaction between head coach Jimmy Lake and linebacker Ruperake Fuavai that caught the attention of Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen.

Lake, 44, was seen hitting Fuavai in the facemask and shoving him to the bench after the linebacker confronted an Oregon player on the sideline.

Jimmy Lake pops Ruperake Fuavai in the helmet and shoves him for getting into it with Jaylon Redd on the sideline pic.twitter.com/7AdSuugGe3
— Ralph Amsden (@ralphamsden) November 7, 2021

"We are aware of an interaction between Head Coach Jimmy Lake and a student-athlete during the first half of Saturday's game," Cohen said in a statement, via ESPN. "We have high expectations of the conduct of our coaches and we are working to gather more information on this matter."

Lake was asked after the game if he regretted striking Fuavai on the sideline.

"I separated them. I didn't strike him," Lake told reporters. "I separated them."

Lake was the Huskies' defensive coordinator before he was promoted to head coach in 2020 following the departure of Chris Petersen. After a 3-1 record in his first season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington has struggled to get on track in 2021.

Washington competed in the College Football Playoff in 2017 and appeared in the Peach, Fiesta and Rose Bowls in consecutive seasons during Petersen's tenure.

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