Column: Football dealing with image
Although we do not face many steroid accusations, there are large amounts of reports of recreational drug use and run-ins with law enforcement with several active and inactive athletes.
Critics and opposing teams have continuously made the comment that Virginia Tech only recruits "thugs" to play for its football organization.
This is far from the truth. It just so happens that a couple of rotten eggs spoiled the cream of the crop.
I stand behind Michael Vick's accomplishments while he was a Hokie; he helped push football to new heights. The university cannot help that he made bad choices, and his name was still associated with the Virginia Tech program.
It did not help that his brother Marcus began his career here on a less than perfect note.
From contributing to the delinquency of a minor to stomping the University of Louisville's defensive lineman in the 2006 Gator Bowl, it was then that Virginia Tech finally, indefinitely, suspended Vick.
Was that the straw that broke the camel's back? Did the football program finally realize that immediate action must be taken on all levels to ensure the integrity of the program?
Fans have watched Ike Whitaker have his ups and downs with the football program, but have we finally seen him correct his ways and become a quality player, both on and off the field because of faith in him held by the organization.
Does that mean that with every player who has drawn attention in a negative way coaches should have faith in them to eventually learn to follow rules?
In March 2008, rising redshirt senior Branden Ore was released from the team, following a number of missed practices and reports of other misconducts. Not long after was the withdrawal of a scholarship from recruit Peter Rose because of drug charges.
Are these tangible signs that the program had perfected its standards after learning from its mistakes?
These recent disciplinary actions show that the integrity of the Virginia Tech football program is finally being upheld by both the players and the coaches.
Coaches have realized that you cannot take multiple chances on high-risk confrontational athletes. It will hinder performance and respect within the program as well as outside the program.
At the same time, recruiters and school officials must realize that all humans make mistakes. One violation of a school rule during high school or a speeding ticket does not reflect that athlete as an individual.
However, if the athlete is a habitual drug user, who consistently is facing law enforcement, why bring that person to a program just to have a winning record? It is better to keep an untarnished university image than that of "Thug-U."
In a press release in mid-May head coach Frank Beamer reported that the Virginia Tech program offers scholarships on the basis of players "maintaining the high standards required of each recruit in their community, schools, and on the football field."
Does this mean that there is finally an investigative procedure on a player's social background before the athlete is recruited by the program?
If there is not one, there should be. This would publicly state exactly what is expected of Tech's athletes, and prevent any rotten eggs in the future.
The Virginia Tech football program has and will continue to rise as its integrity is maintained by its athletes and coaches. The Hokies are finally beginning to shake the "thug" reputation and will continue to show the nation who they truly are.
