Washington State safety Shalom Luani will not face charges from a fight in a Pullman Domino's Pizza on Aug. 24. The Whitman County prosecutor released a statement Monday saying he couldn't prove Luani didn't act in self-defense.
Prosecutor Denis Tracy said video evidence showed Luani throwing a punch that broke the alleged victim's nose, but "in this case, it is my view that no reasonable jury could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Luani was not acting in self-defense," he said in the statement.
WSU athletic director Bill Moos said the Cougars were "pleased that the prosecuting attorney's office came to the same conclusion as we did regarding this case."
"While not always afforded the opportunity, I believe this illustrates the stance we have taken from the beginning which is to handle such matters internally, not speak in great detail, until the legal process has played out. Though we choose to reserve comment on such instances, we continue to cooperate with law enforcement, and assume innocent until proven guilty," Moos said in a statement.
"We will not engage in public debate, rather, will let the legal process run its course, and as best we can gain an understanding of all the facts, without publicly acknowledging guilt or innocence prematurely. We will continue to educate our student-athletes on representing our fine university is a positive manner and also emphasize they remove themselves from situations that have the potential to impact them and the university negatively."
WSU coach Mike Leach suspended Luani for the Cougars' opening game, but he has allowed him to play since then while the investigation was ongoing. Leach also expressed frustration with the investigation, media publicity and the Pullman police's treatment of his team.
"The facts as I know them -- it's not near what's been publicized and I'm disappointed that the court of public opinion's been tainted and contaminated in the fashion it has," Leach said on Sept. 5. "And, at any rate, Shalom's relationship with our team, that'll remain with us."
According to initial reports from the police, Luani was upset with a long wait for his pizza, which led to an altercation in the parking lot.
Three other Washington State football players are being investigated at present. Robert Barber and T.J. Fehoko were arrested on Sept. 16 in connection to a brawl at a house party in July. Logan Tago was arrested on Sept. 12 in connection to an alleged assault and robbery in June in which a man claimed that Tago punched him and stole a case of beer he was carrying.
Luani has seven tackles and two interceptions this season. He started all 13 games for the Cougars in 2015 after transferring from City College of San Francisco. He finished third on the team with 90 tackles and earned All-Pac-12 honorable-mention honors.