Graphic By: John Severino

The Stompin’ Hokies first attacked on Jan. 2, 2006 in the Gator Bowl. During the first half of the football game, the Hokies had five penalties totaling 75 yards. These five penalties were personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct calls that were 15 yards apiece. Although the Hokies got called for these five penalties, the worst case of unsportsmanlike conduct went unnoticed by the officials during the game. The officials failed to see quarterback Marcus Vick stomp on the back of Elvis Dumervil's left knee. Since the officials did not see this on the field, there was no penalty flag thrown. Even though this act went unnoticed by the officials, the viewers at home were able to see this over and over. In fact, the commentators for the game were furious over the fact that Vick was not penalized for this appalling act. It was apparent from the replays as well that this was an undoubtedly intentional act.

The most recent Stompin’ Hokie attack occurred in the basketball game verses the Duke Blue Devils on Jan. 26, 2006 at Cassell Coliseum. In the closing minutes of the game, Duke’s Lee Melchionni fouled VT’s sophomore guard, Deron Washington. As the two players were getting off the floor, Washington intentionally stomped on Melchionni’s face. In this case, the Hokies were penalized with the ejection of Deron Washington. Washington and Head Coach Seth Greenburg went to the Duke locker room after the game and apologized for the act. Since the coach accompanied Deron, one would wonder if he was forced to apologize or if this was simply an act of publicity to “apologize” for his wrong doings. Either way, Deron apologized for his unsportsmanlike act. This apology does not make the act right. In fact, it should not have been committed.

Apparently, stomping is not the only act of poor sportsmanship that the Hokie athletes have committed this year. During the Gator Bowl, senior cornerback Jimmy Williams was ejected after he had a run-in with an official. Jimmy claimed he just "spun out of the ref's hands." Either way, this was an unsportsmanlike and simply unacceptable act.

On and off the field, players of each university sports program represent their universities. When a team is ranked nationally, the team and the players are in the hot spotlight of the sports media. It is important that all players on the team realize this fact and act in an appropriate manner so that they represent their university with honor. Apparently, this concept is hard to grasp for Marcus Vick. Not only does he engage in unsportsmanlike conduct on the field, he commits illegal acts off the field. Marcus has a long history of run-ins with the law including his nine driving infractions since he was enrolled with Virginia Tech and his two misdemeanor charges with speeding and driving with a suspended license. He added another charge to this list right after he declared his intent to enter the NFL draft. The Washington Post reported that Vick turned himself in to the Suffolk magistrate’s office after three warrants were issued for his arrest. Vick was accused of waving a firearm at three teenagers during an altercation in a McDonald’s parking lot. This act, combined with his many encounters with the law, has had a negative impact on the university. In fact, the university felt he had impacted the university in such a negative way with his list of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike conduct that he was dismissed. In doing so, the university was taking a major step to protect its public image.

As the well-known Hokies enter their second year with the ACC, they must improve their sportsmanship in order to maintain their well-known reputation in the world of college sports. The Hokies have gained recognition nation wide with their top-notch football team and their decent basketball team. When a team, such as the Hokies, has a well-known reputation, it is important for the players to realize that they are representing their university at all times. Over the past month, the players at Virginia Tech have not been representing their university very well. They have created a list of unsportsmanlike acts in the month of January, 2006. With this list of unsportsmanlike acts, the players of Virginia Tech are casting a shadow on the well known reputation at hand. The Hokies must shape up in order to maintain their reputation within the world of college sports.