According to a Big Sky Conference press release, four Hornet football players have been issued reprimands for illegally applying a non-stick cooking spray on their jerseys during a 31-24 loss to top-ranked University of Montana last week.

The Hornet Athletic Department will take no further action.

According to Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton, four defensive linemen ? Brad Osterhout, Bilal Watkins, Eric Broden and Ben Fox ? were involved in the incident.

No suspensions were handed down, and all four players will be able to play on Saturday against Weber State.

The Sac State football team could face further punishment if it is determined their coaches knew what was going on.

However, Sac State Athletic Director Terry Wanless assured everyone Thursday that no members of the coaching staff were involved in the incident.

“Nothing like this has happened before, and no coaches were involved,” Wanless said.

Watkins echoed Wanless? statement.

“(The coaches) had no idea,” he said. “It was during the game; we figured the coaches minds were elsewhere.”

The four defensive linemen are embarrassed by the incident and all the attention it has caused, Wanless added.

This violation follows the one-game suspension handed out to head coach John Volek after his postgame tirade two weeks ago against Montana State University.

Volek, who was serving his one-game suspension in the stands, did not know the incident was taking place. He was first notified of the situation on Wednesday.

“It?s not coached,” Volek said. “We take it very seriously. I coach my team to play by the rules.

“(The four players) said they saw players on ESPN doing it,” he added.

Todd Goodrich, a University of Montana photographer, caught the Sac State players spraying each other?s jerseys with PAM along the sidelines.

“I was walking through the players area and I saw these players spraying stuff on their jerseys,” Goodrich said.

After questioning a Montana trainer, Goodrich was instructed to snap photos of the players.

“(The trainer) told me, ‘If you see it again, take a picture,” Goodrich said.

Montana sent the photos to Fullerton on Friday for further review.

“I think it?s a serious ethical breach,” Fullerton said in article published on ESPN?s Web site. “It?s a planned activity.

“But I put it in the mistake category, rather than the devious category,” he later told The State Hornet.

Fullerton interviewed Sac State players and coaches before making his decision on the punishment.

“We?ve conducted interviews with Sac State, both team players and coaches,” Fullerton said. “It was an isolated incident with four players.”

Watkins made light of the situation, claiming he wasn?t aware of the rules surrounding this issue.

“If we thought it was a big deal we wouldn?t have done it (on the sidelines),” said Watkins, a fifth-year senior. “It?s serious but at the same time it?s humorous.”

The coaching staff suspended five Hornet football players on Nov. 1 for violating the team?s code of conduct.

More updates to follow.