Washington State QB dies in apparent suicide
Police on Wednesday were interviewing Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski’s friends and people who knew him to try to learn why he apparently took his life. Police Chief Gary Jenkins said officers have no apparent motive for the death of the 21-yearold athlete, who was found dead in his Pullman, Wash., apartment on Tuesday along with a rifle and a suicide note.
“The missing piece here is why,” Jenkins said. “Most of our investigation will be conducting interviews.”
Jenkins declined to reveal the contents of the suicide note.
Hilinski’s family in California issued a statement saying they were in “complete shock and disarray” over his death.
A makeshift memorial for Hilinski has sprouted near the football stadium on the Pullman campus, next to a bronze statue of the team’s cougar mascot. The memorial included flowers and balloons.
Hilinski backed up Luke Falk this season and was the presumptive starter heading into his junior year.
He appeared in eight games during his sophomore season, throwing for 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns. The most memorable outing of his career came in the second week of the season, when he came off the bench to rally Washington State from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Boise State in triple overtime. Hilinski was carried off the field after the victory.
His only start came in a loss to Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl in December, the Cougars’ final game of the season.
In other college football news:
• The University of Houston announced the addition of Hebron quarterback Clayton Tune to its 2018 signing class. Tune is an early enrollee for the spring semester and will participate in offseason workouts.
Ranked the No. 19 quarterback in the nation by ESPN, Tune finished his prep career with 6,686 passing yards and 66 touchdowns and 1,074 rushing yards and touchdowns.
• Texas quarterback Shane Buechele will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn muscle in his hip and abdomen area that he sustained during the Texas Bowl. He will begin treatment and rehabilitation in the coming days and is expected to be ready to return in time for spring practice.