ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 20, 1996 TAG: 9612200019
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech's football team held its final at-home Orange Bowl news conference Thursday.
Instead of Nebraska, though, most of the session's juice concentrated on the Hokies' recurring off-the-field woes.
The program's latest problem - the arrests of starting fullback Brian Edmonds and reserve flanker James Crawford on charges of rape and attempted sodomy, and their suspensions - has left the Hokies spinning emotionally.
Of course, 22 arrests involving 19 players in a span of 13 months can tend to fray emotions.
From head coach Frank Beamer to players such as senior Billy Conaty and sophomore Loren Johnson, the Hokies are hurt. Big time.
``It's difficult when people you care about a lot get themselves involved with situations that's not going in a successful direction for them,'' said Beamer, speaking publicly on the Edmonds-Crawford case for the first time.
``We've had too much of that,'' Beamer added. ``And that hurts me the most.''
After addressing the media for approximately 15 minutes, Beamer left the room. Minutes later, when questioned by a pursuing reporter, Beamer got choked up and and had to fight back tears when he mentioned ``all the good kids'' in the Hokies' program.
That's OK, said Johnson. The sophomore cornerback has shed more than one tear since Monday, too.
``It hurts. It hurts me a lot. I'm not ashamed to say it I've cried and I've cried for them,'' Johnson said of Edmonds and Crawford.
Shame is the word Conaty chose to use.
``I'm concerned for the kids,'' Conaty said. ``It's such a shame that they mess up their lives. I don't know what they did, or if they did it or not. If they did do it, they're idiots.
``It's a shame, too, because there are so many great people on this team. These kind of guys kind of give us a bad image.''
Conaty, a senior center who figures to be playing somewhere in the NFL next year, said the fallout from Tech's bad publicity could affect the program for years.
``I'm very fed up, especially because it's probably going to hurt recruiting,'' the All-American said.
``There are so many good kids that it shouldn't, but [recruits] are going to see how many kids are suspended. So it's going to have a ripple effect on Virginia Tech's program, I think.
``In the years past, you could say, `Virginia Tech has got a clean program and no one gets in trouble.' Now, I just avoid the subject'' with recruits.
Conaty said the Hokies' long string of criminal charges the past 13 months has gotten old fast.
``It's frustrating,'' he said. ``You get a call like every few weeks from someone back home saying, `What happened now?'
``It's such a shame. Even if these kids are innocent, I mean they're pretty close to a problem, they're doing something that's not right. Maybe they should just stay home and read, do something constructive instead of going out and tearing up the town or whatever they do.''
Beamer said he will welcome a tougher plan being developed by the athletic department to deal with players charged with crimes.
``My plan is to continue to educate our players on the right things and wrong things and the things in today's society that they need to be aware of,'' Beamer said.
``And then it's going to be pretty simple. The people that represent themselves, their families, this football program and this university in a proper manner and a right manner, they'll be with this team.
``And the people who don't do that will not be here. It's plain and simple.''
Under the plan, which will be submitted to the school's board of visitors in February, there will be sanctions in place to deal with various offenses.
Fine, the coach said.
``Whatever is discussed there will not be as strong as what I will do with members of our team,'' Beamer said. ``If one person is charged, it's one too many as far as I'm concerned. And we've had too many people charged.''
Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director, appeared glad to hear Beamer's toughened stance. In as many words, Braine said Beamer hurt himself by being too nice a guy.
``He has always tried to help kids,'' Braine said. ``But obviously some of his kindness has come back to bite all of us.''
Braine said he doesn't buy the theory that there's a correlation between Tech's national success the past two seasons and the program's rash of off-the-field woes.
``Don't think I haven't thought about it,'' he said.
``If you remember correctly, we get back from the Sugar Bowl and the $8.3 million charge was filed'' against the school by alleged rape victim Christy Brzonkala. ``It's kind of been downhill ever since then. It would be easy to say yes. But I don't think that's the answer, I really don't.''
For more on Virginia Tech's Orange Bowl trip to Miami, see our Internet page at www.roanoke.com
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