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PULLMAN, Wash.(AP) Washington State football coach Paul Wulff on Saturday backtracked on some statements he made after being slapped with NCAA penalties for actions he took while coach at Eastern Washington.

Wulff on Wednesday had blamed a "culture" at EWU he said allowed the violations to occur, and indicated that Dick Zornes and Mike Kramer, his football predecessors, had been part of that.

Wulff issued a statement Saturday reiterating the violations under his watch were his own fault.

"I have taken responsibility for violations at Eastern Washington while I was head coach and accept the penalties," Wulff said.

"The reality is that over the past 20-plus years the head coach at Eastern Washington has had to serve many roles in addition to coaching football, such as compliance, eligibility and academic advisor," Wulff said. "My comments that this has been going on at Eastern Washington for the last two decades was intended to reflect the duties of the head coach having to wear more than one hat. Nothing else should be read into that."

The NCAA penalized Eastern Washington's football program for allowing ineligible athletes to practice and having too many assistant coaches. Wulff and administrators were faulted for failure to properly monitor the team.

Eastern Washington was put on three years' probation and is banned from postseason play next season. It also was penalized two scholarships and had limits placed on recruiting and coaching.

Wulff was also banned from having any contact with his Washington State football team during the first three days of practice this season.

Wulff told reporters Wednesday the violations were secondary infractions that occur when a program is too cash-strapped to afford full-time compliance officers.

Wulff was hired at WSU prior to last season.

Eastern Washington, a Football Championship Subdivision team in the Big Sky Conference, reported the violations to the NCAA in February 2007. Wulff was coach at Eastern Washington from 2000-07

On Wednesday, Wulff told reporters: "You have to understand, this has been going on at Eastern for two, three decades. This is the reality. I admitted it."

Wulff said EWU athletic-department staffers wear "not one, but two, three, four and five hats."

On Saturday, Wulff said he had "the utmost respect and admiration" for Zornes and Kramer, who both employed him as an assistant.

"It would be wrong to insinuate they were anything but 100 percent professional and completely dedicated to representing Eastern Washington University in a positive manner," Wulff said.