Associated Press 18y

Virginia Tech to review, address Vick's behavior

Virginia Tech Hokies, Louisville Cardinals

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Tech officials said they would
review and deal with Marcus Vick's apparent stomp on the leg of a
Louisville player just before halftime of the Toyota Gator Bowl.

Athletic director Jim Weaver said Tuesday that the school was
embarrassed by Vick's behavior, calling his step on the left calf of
NCAA sacks leader Elvis Dumervil after a tackle "unacceptable"
and "not reflective of Virginia Tech football nor of the values we
hold at Virginia Tech."

He said in a statement that the administration "will not
condone such acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. We will review and
assess this incident further and deal with it accordingly."

Weaver told The Associated Press that he had no timetable on any
possible action.

A message left at the phone number listed for Vick in Virginia
Tech's online student directory was not immediately returned.

Vick stepped on Dumervil's calf after the defensive end tackled
the Hokies' junior quarterback. After the play, Vick seemed to
pause before walking across Dumervil's leg.

He was not penalized on the play, but was rebuked at halftime by
quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, who said he even considered
pulling Vick from the lineup.

Vick said later it was "an accidental play, and football is
football." He also said he had apologized to Dumervil. Dumervil
said no apology had been offered.

"A no-character individual," Dumervil said after the game.

Vick threw two touchdown passes and led a 22-point,
fourth-quarter rally for the No. 12 Hokies, who beat the No. 15
Cardinals 35-24.

Coach Frank Beamer said after the game that he did not see the
play and couldn't comment on any possibly disciplinary action
against Vick until he had a chance to review it. Beamer and Rogers
did not immediately return phone messages left at their offices
Tuesday.

Rogers, who has mentored Vick in his on-field and off-field
behavior, was livid with his quarterback, chewing him out at
halftime, and after the game.

"There's no reason for that in the game," Rogers said. "It's
flat-out embarrassing. I don't coach that way, and I don't expect
him to play that way."

The incident is the latest trouble for Vick since he elected to
follow his brother, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, to
Virginia Tech. The elder Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 national
championship game and was the first pick of the 2001 draft.

Marcus Vick played in 11 games as a backup in his freshman year,
then was suspended from school last season after he was arrested,
along with teammates Mike Imoh and Brenden Hill, for giving alcohol
to 14- and 15-year-old girls. He pleaded no contest to a
misdemeanor charge.

The younger Vick also later pleaded guilty to reckless driving
and no contest to marijuana possession after a police stop in July
2004.

In Vick's absence, the Hokies won the Atlantic Coast Conference
championship in their first year in the league, then lost 16-13 to
No. 3 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl.

This season, Vick was jeered by fans at road games, and drew
attention by making an obscene gesture to fans at West Virginia.

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