2008.10.30
Al Groh on Rashawn Jackson
On his regular Thursday teleconference, Virginia football coach Al Groh was asked about fullback Rashawn Jackson, arrested Tuesday on felony counts of grand larcey and breaking and entering stemming from a November 2007 incident at UVa's Cauthen Dorm.
UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said in a statement released Wednesday that Jackson would remain with the team until the issue is resolved or more information comes to light.Following are Groh's comments:
"We're comfortable in terms of just his performance, his state of mind and his circumstances. I guess I would say, 'We believe in America and everything that goes on in America and one of those things is, everybody's innocent until proven guilty.
"We also believe in accountability and justice. We're sure, in the end, that all of those things will [come] out. He seems to be very comfortable and confident with his circumstances.
I hope the Hoo fans remember the comments from Littlepage and Groh the next time a Hokie player gets into trouble. I hope the young man is innocent. Had this incident been publicized last November when it occured? I don't seem to remember hearing about it.
Comment by Issac — October 30, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
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12:05 P.M. 10-31-08 Charlottesville, VA
As a coach you DO know what the likelihood is of players getting in to trouble once you get them on to campus: the better a player is academically in high school, the less-likely he is to get in to trouble.
That doesn't mean that players who are outstanding students never get in to trouble with the law in college: I said the LESS-LIKELY he is to get in to trouble with the law in college. Haha!
By being better academically,
I'm not necessarily talking about his GPA in high school, because there's a great difference between the academic difficulties of different high schools, but that includes SAT scores, clubs he belongs
to, what courses he takes, and his general attitude towards academics.
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Comment by Nelson — October 31, 2008 @ 12:01 pm