ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 7, 1996 TAG: 9611070046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech's already tough road to the finish line of the 1996 football season has become even more difficult.
In response to indictments handed down by a Montgomery County grand jury earlier Wednesday, Tech coach Frank Beamer and athletic director Dave Braine announced the suspensions of two players for the remainder of the season, and the suspensions of five more, including All-America defensive end Cornell Brown, for Saturday's home game against East Carolina.
Sophomore Angelo Harrison, a backup flanker and special-teams player, and junior defensive tackle Brad Baylor, who started four games this season before being injured, were booted off the squad for the rest of the season after each was charged with a felony.
Harrison faces a charge of attempted malicious wounding in connection with the Aug.31 brawl in which a Tech track and field athlete alleges he was beaten by a group of football players.
Baylor was indicted on a felony abduction charge stemming from a July 27 incident at a Blacksburg apartment building in which a UVa student was held against his will and forced to consume an inordinate amount of alcohol.
The rest of the indictments were for misdemeanor assault and battery in connection with the incident. In addition to Brown, those players suspended for Saturday night's game include redshirt freshman linebacker Michael Hawkes, junior tight end Sean Sullivan (two counts), redshirt freshman defensive tackle Nat Williams and sophomore linebacker Tyron Edmond.
Another player, senior starting fullback Brian Edmonds, and a former player, junior college transfer Greg Melvin, also were charged with assault and battery in connection with the Aug.31 incident.
Edmonds, however, wasn't suspended for Saturday's game because he had been disciplined for the season opener Sept.7 at Akron after Tech coach Frank Beamer's initial in-house investigation into the brawl.
Braine said the decision to suspend the players despite the fact they have yet to be proven guilty was a joint call made by ``university administration and [school president] Dr. [Paul] Torgersen, Coach Beamer and his staff and myself.''
``They are being punished for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,'' Braine said.
``Note, none have had their day in court to prove their innocence or their guilt. However, we've taken this action because we believe as Virginia Tech athletes they should not be appearing in court in the first place.''
When asked to define what being in the wrong place at the wrong time meant, Braine said: ``They were involved in a fight, they were there, it's in the black never be involved in a situation where you can get in trouble.''
Counting Wednesday's indictments, 20 Tech football players have been arrested in the past year. Five players ultimately were convicted, while charges against four were dropped.
Besides those indicted Wednesday, a current player, Pedro Edison (involuntary manslaughter), and a former player, Walter Ford (shoplifting), have cases pending.
Beamer spoke first at the 2:30 p.m. news conference at Jamerson Athletic Center. The coach left the room without fielding questions after reading a statement that lasted approximately two minutes.
Beamer said in his statement that he wasn't suspending the players ``because I feel they are guilty. I am suspending them because they put themselves in a position of having to face charges in court.
``Whenever members of my football team have been charged with breaking the law, it has been my policy to act swiftly to punish that which I know for sure. When there's been uncertainty in my mind, my normal policy has been to let the athlete have his day in court before handing out disciplinary suspension.
``But in this particular case, after conferring with the university and athletic administration, it was unanimously agreed that some suspensions were in order.''
Braine, who said he interviewed 23 players during Tech's in-house investigation of the altercation, said ``there was some surprise on both sides'' at the number of players indicted.
``There were some other people involved who weren't indicted who were not athletes,'' he noted.
Braine said he thought the suspensions ``sent a strong statement'' about the price of running afoul of the law.
``If you look across the country you see more incidents taking place like this every year,'' Braine said. ``That's not to say we condone it. ``Obviously, we need to continue to strengthen our policy, and we are.''''
Tech will need to be strong on the football field Saturday. The Hokies (6-1) face East Carolina (5-2) in a game that starts a tough stretch run of games against Miami, West Virginia and Virginia.
``As Frank said, it's going to be doubly difficult to win,'' Braine said. ``But this team has bounced back before and it will bounce back again.''
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 9 photos.by CNB