Washington State Football: Tavares Martin Jr.’s dismissal causes concern

Ahead of facing off against Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl later this month, Washington State football has dismissed lost another top wide receiver.

Tavares Martin Jr. was dismissed from the team after leading the Cougars with 70 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Earlier this year, the junior was suspended for a game vs. Colorado due to a violation of team rules.

According to a report by ESPN, Martin was dismissed for an undisclosed violation of team rules. However, the player had a different feeling about the decision, which he explained on Twitter.

“I was dismissed from the team because I asked for my release,” he wrote. “I never knew my asking for my release was a violation of team rules.”

When asked if the dismissal had anything to do with the October issue, Martin replied “Nope not at all.” Prior to his post about asking for his release, he also put up a statement on social media indicating a “new chapter” was coming.

Martin joins his former high school teammate Isaiah Johnson-Mack as players who have exited from the Washington State program since the regular season finale vs. Washington. Johnson-Mack was second on the team with 555 yards receiving and third with 60 receptions.

Both Martin and Johnson-Mack are from Belle Glade, Fla.

Last year, Martin had 64 receptions for 728 yards and scored seven touchdowns. As a freshman, he had 16 catches, 124 yards and scored one touchdown.

Martin recorded three games with at least 100 yards this past year, including a 10-catch, 194-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 52-23 victory over Oregon State back in September. He also had 114 yards and two scores in a win vs. Nevada and had 11 catches for 136 yards in a loss to Arizona.

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Washington State quarterback Luke Falk will rely on Renard Bell and Kyle Sweet, who had over 1,000 yards receiving, against the Spartans.