Coach, Players Pledge New Attitude At Va. Tech Ratio Of Crimes To Victories Not Something To Be Proud Of

The road to prominence has not been easy for Virginia Tech. For every achievement and football victory, there has been a headline screaming about another arrest, another legal problem.

For each of the team’s 20 wins in 24 games over the last two seasons, there has been a player charged with a crime, several of them felonies.

Coach Frank Beamer and team leaders say the image will change; school president Paul Torgersen has said it must.

“Last year was a real bad year, not only for myself but really for the whole team,” said senior fullback Marcus Parker, who was suspended for the first four games of last season after being arrested on shoplifting charges.

“As a team, I think we’ve taken it a little bit more upon ourselves,” he said. “I’ve seen older guys helping out, trying to keep guys out of trouble. We’ve had a few team-only meetings this summer and talked about a few things. So we know how important it is to stay out of trouble.”

The team’s troubles began attracting national attention in 1995, when linebacker Tony Morrison and wide receiver James Crawford were suspended before the Sugar Bowl.

In an effort to deal with all the problems, Torgersen and then-athletic director Dave Braine put together a set of standards for athletes last February. They include tougher sanctions, more drug testing, expanded player counseling and more attention to character assessment in recruiting.

Players charged with a felony will be suspended immediately until their cases are heard. Those convicted of felonies will be kicked off the team. The circumstances of lesser convictions will determine the discipline.