Tech shooting’s link to football may be short-lived

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, July 26, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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How much will what has become known, in shorthand, as "the Virginia Tech massacre" affect Frank Beamer's football team this fall?

Probably not as much as the media would have you believe.

We can only hope that the sportswriters and sportscasters get it all out of their system on Sept. 1, when Tech hosts East Carolina at Lane Stadium. ESPN Game Day will be there (instead of at Tennessee and Cal, which promises to be a much better game), and the Hokies will wear a black uniform patch commemorating the 32 students who died in an April 16 shooting rampage by student Seung-Hui Cho.

This first week is when the team will provide the greatest service to the campus community, by heralding a return to normalcy. After that, in all likelihood, it will become just another football season.

It might be different if any team members had been among those killed, but that wasn't the case. Almost to a man, the players -- like most of those on the Blacksburg campus that day -- remained unaware of what had happened until the news reports came rolling in.

No doubt every Hokie had at least some acquaintance with one or more of the victims, but that's probably not enough for Beamer to use what happened as an inspirational tool. Nor is there much chance that Tech's opponents will take any pity on a squad that is favored in most circles to capture the ACC title.

In the end, horrific as it was, the April carnage had no more to do with the 2007 Virginia Tech football team than the dogfighting accusations against former Hokie quarterback Michael Vick.

Comparisons have been made between Virginia Tech and the New Orleans Saints, but that seems dubious on its face. Hurricane Katrina affected virtually everyone living along the Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans. What Seung-Hui Cho wrought had a direct effect on only a tiny portion of the Tech student body.

"We've got to become closer, more united and more respectful of each other," Beamer said. "And I think there's no better place to start than our football stadium, because in that stadium, everyone's got the same purpose."

Amen to that. But perhaps after East Carolina, the questions being asked of Tech players will shift their focus from last April to next January.

Original Virginia Tech Hokies commentary, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Tim Barber		09:02 AM
07/26/2007
I as a Hokie appreciate all the support that has been give to the University since the shootings. I am an avid fan and travel 4...
No.2
John Miles		06:43 PM
07/26/2007
East Carolina will only make this a better game. That team is scary... Va Tech is nothing more than a over hyped media darling...
No.3
Jon		02:33 AM
07/28/2007
I agree with this article. The Tennessee/Cal game will be a great game and should get the Gameday coverage. I hope Vtech doesn't...
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