ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 10, 1996 TAG: 9612100090
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Six Virginia Tech football players have a little legal housekeeping to take care of before heading south for the New Year's Eve showdown with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl - a bond condition waiver.
The players - including All-American defensive end and potential NFL draft pick Cornell Brown - are free on personal recognizance bonds while awaiting circuit court dates for misdemeanor assault and battery charges. Their bond agreements state that they can not leave the state, making a trip to Florida illegal.
With less than 20 days before they leave, none has asked the court to waive the condition that would keep him from legally attending the biggest game of the year.
Blacksburg police said the Tech players were involved in an Aug. 31 brawl on College Avenue that left a Virginia Tech track star with a broken collar bone and multiple bruises.
A seventh Hokie, wide receiver Angelo Harrison, was charged with felony attempted malicious wounding in the case and was suspended for the season by university officials.
The others served one-game suspensions and are expected to be available against the Huskers. They are starting fullback Brian Edmonds, linebackers Tyron J. Edmond and Michael Hawkes, defensive tackle Nathaniel Williams, tight end Sean Sullivan and, of course, defensive star Brown.
William Cleveland, lead defense attorney for Brown, said he was unaware until a reporter's call that Brown's bond agreement stated he could not leave the state. He said it is generally a standard condition and he will certainly ask for a waiver from the commonwealth's attorney.
Cleveland said the procedure could be as simple as Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Keith signing a consent order that states where Brown is going, the length of his trip and when he will return to the state. The intent of the condition is to make sure the accused shows up for his or her court date.
Getting a waiver "is not normally a problem," Cleveland said.
Joe Painter, defense attorney for Edmonds, said he, too, had not been aware of the condition, but he didn't anticipate any problem getting a waiver.
"I've never had anyone denied; I've had judges let people go to Europe," he said.
Keith, who was in circuit court throughout the day Monday, could not be reached for comment on the waivers.
The Cornhuskers have made headlines with their own legal troubles in the last two years, but none is currently charged with anything, according to Ken Hambleton, a sports reporter at the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star.
Hambleton said Nebraska officials kicked All-America linebacker Terrell Farley off the team earlier this year after the senior was charged with drunken driving twice in seven weeks.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB