Coach, It's Time to Give Up on Vick

Lynchburg News & Advance
October 1, 2007

You’ve got to give Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer points for loyalty, but at some point you’ve also got wonder what planet he’s living on.

Case in point: the latest in the ongoing saga of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Let’s quickly recap the “highlights” from Vick’s pro football career following his short time in Blacksburg leading the Hokies:

• In November 2006, after a home loss to the New Orleans Saints, some fans began booing the Falcons. Vick’s reaction? He flipped the bird to the crowd. The NFL’s response? A $10,000 fine.

• In April 2006, attorneys for the quarterback revealed they had settled a suit with a woman who said she’d been infected with a sexually transmitted disease after an encounter with Vick. The terms of the settlement have been sealed by the court.

• In January 2007, security screeners at a Miami airport confiscated a water bottle with a false bottom from Vick. Tests indicated there was no evidence drugs had been in the compartment, and Vick later said it was a “jewelry stash box.”

• In 2004, two friends of Vick’s were arrested in Virginia driving a vehicle registered to him and charged with distribution of marijuana. According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dan Reeves, then the Falcons coach, lectured his quarterback, telling him “whatever you do is going to be a reflection on all of us, not just you.”

• And, last but not least, is his plea of guilty to federal charges stemming from dog fighting and his ownership of Bad Newz Kennels. Overseeing and helping to organize dog fights, telling employees which dogs to execute after poor performances in the ring and actually helping in the slaughter. And just a week ago, a Surry County grand jury indicted him on state charges stemming from the same investigation.

• Just a day later, he tested positive for marijuana; the federal judge overseeing his case slapped a curfew on him and ordered electronic monitoring.

Now ponder what Coach Beamer had to say about his former star - and he said this just days prior to the state indictment and the drug test results:

“I think he’s learned a lot from this, he’s going to change a lot from this and he’s a good person that needs to get back out there and hopefully get his life in order.”

Learned a lot. Going to change. A good person that needs to get back out there.

Right.

Frank Beamer, for good reason, is an institution in Blacksburg, and many Tech fans and alumni adore the man. In the days following the April 16 massacre, he was one of the towering figures the university community drew close to for healing and comfort.

But the coach needs to re-examine his loyalty to Vick, because he’s quickly becoming a laughingstock.

Reality is calling out to Coach Beamer. Please answer.