|
|
|
| ajc.com High school sports: Scores, predictions, capsules and more.
|
Player who missed a block at practice was hit by four linemen to teach him a lesson. Norman Arey and Mike Tierney - Staff Tuesday, October 10, 2000 The mother of a Georgia Tech football player says she will bring criminal charges against Yellow Jackets head coach George O'Leary after an incident at practice left her son physically and emotionally bruised. Wanda Charpring, the mother of backup offensive tackle Dustin Vaitekunas, says she will file assault and battery charges against O'Leary over the incident, which took place at the end of practice Sept. 25. That evening at Rose Bowl Field, O'Leary called the 6-foot-7, 320-pound sophomore lineman to the front of the assembled team and handed him a football. He put four defensive linemen in their three-point stance and blew a whistle. At least some of the linemen hit Vaitekunas at full speed. The players went down in a pile. When the defensive linemen got up, Vaitekunas didn't. The team physician and trainers attended to Vaitekunas for 15 minutes before helping him off the field. "We had just finished running gassers (sprints) and that usually takes it out of me pretty good," Vaitekunas said, "so I was standing in the back and couldn't hear what he (O'Leary) was saying. "The other players turned around and said, 'Dustin, get up there,' " he said. "Coach O'Leary handed me the ball and said, 'This is what it feels like when you mess up the blocking.' He lined up four guys about 6 yards away and when he blew the whistle, they basically teed off on me." Vaitekunas says he walked back to the locker room, was given pain medication by the team doctor and returned to his room. The next day, he left for his home in Chapin, S.C., and hasn't returned to classes or practice. "I was injured physically and mentally," he said, "but to tell the truth, maybe more mentally." According to Vaitekunas, he had missed a block in practice and O'Leary wanted him to see what it was like for the quarterback when a lineman fails to block. The defensive linemen confirmed Vaitekunas' account and said they were surprised the offensive tackle made no effort to defend himself. "We thought Dustin would have enough sense to protect himself," said sophomore defensive tackle Greg Gathers, who claims the foursome did not "explode" but simply hit him hard. "He just stood there." Junior defensive end Nick Rogers said the group was instructed to line up and "just hit him. (O'Leary) wanted to show Dustin how a quarterback feels when he doesn't have blocking. It wasn't that hard --- a moderate hit." But Rogers added that he at first thought O'Leary was kidding. Rogers said he was the only lineman to "pull up" and deliver a relatively softer blow. "I didn't particularly like that type of punishment," Rogers said. O'Leary said the severity of the incident was a result of poor communication between him and the defensive linemen who hit Vaitekunas. "They were just supposed to show him the speed of the rush; they weren't supposed to tackle him," O'Leary said. The incident prompted a discussion among players, Rogers said. "Some guys were, like, he needs to toughen up. Some guys, like me . . . well, I'm a sympathetic guy." "I kind of regret it," Gathers said. "He is a human being." But Gathers defended the validity of the drill. "You would think," he said, "that would make a person stronger." The other defensive tackle --- sophomore Merrix Watson --- offered little sympathy. "Everybody has a job to do. If you don't do your job, it's going to show," he said. "Football is a contact sport --- hit and be hit. We were told to 'nudge' him a little bit --- to give him the feeling of what it's like when you don't block for the quarterback." Teammates Will Hardy and Brian Lee, who roomed with Vaitekunas and were not involved in the drill, said their friend had gotten discouraged over a lack of playing time. "He was a little upset about his playing situation," Hardy said. "He was dragging . . . starting to get frustrated on how (the coaches) were evaluating him." "He's been struggling since he got here," Lee said. "He didn't like to run. There was a little bit of laziness in him. I told him, 'Pick it up. We need you.' "He had all the potential to be a great player. He just thinks the coaches were against him." Hardy said he would not welcome bearing the brunt of four charging linemen under such circumstances. "But I would accept it," he said. "It was a disciplining tool the coaches used. Certain things (with Vaitekunas) were happening over and over again. There's got to be some repercussions sometime." O'Leary ordered the same drill for the other backup offensive tackle, Jason Kemble, according to the players. Kemble protected himself and was not injured. Vaitekunas' mother says her son was severely bruised, had difficulty sleeping and breathing, and complained of pain for about 12 days. "I see this as assault and battery," she said. "I want O'Leary arrested. There's so much pressure involved in athletics today. There's pressure from the parents, and I've dug deep in looking at myself on that. Dustin felt like he couldn't come home. There's pressure on the coaches. It has escalated to the point he (O'Leary) tried to kill my son. I want him charged criminally." Charpring says she has spoken with Capt. James Thomas of the Georgia Tech police department about filing charges. Thomas could not be reached for comment. She also has sent letters to athletics director Dave Braine and David Thompson, the Atlantic Coast Conference's assistant commissioner for NCAA compliance. O'Leary said he has tried to contact Vaitekunas without success. "I feel we've done everything we were supposed to do from here," O'Leary said. In a letter to Vaitekunas dated Oct. 2, O'Leary wrote: "I haven't had the opportunity to speak with you in person or on the telephone so that a decision can be made regarding the continuation of your education and your athletic responsibilities at Georgia Tech. "In your Player Policy Book under Training Rules and Regulations, it is stated that it is a team violation for unexcused practices and group or team meetings. Enforcement of this violation could result in your being put on probation, suspension, loss of scholarship or team dismissal. "You have been notified of this violation and it's your responsibility to communicate regarding your remaining a member of the Georgia Tech Football Program." In her letter to the ACC office, Charpring wrote, in part: "In my opinion, George O'Leary commanded the deadly force of four defensive linemen to negotiate the termination of a contract. . . . In the hands of a head coach who has lost his sense of propriety and has at his command extreme force just at the blow of a whistle, the student athlete is put in serious jeopardy. When the school will not act to protect the athlete, the conference and NCAA must." Charpring said she will file her official complaint today with the Georgia Tech police department. Soon after the incident, Gathers said, he told Vaitekunas, "Come on, Dustin, we need you." But the player cleaned out his dorm room while his roommates were
out and has not been seen since by the team.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.gif){kind=spacer}
page1/ A-section | metro news | sports | business | opinion | living | classifieds AJC Newspaper Online brought to you in partnership with AccessAtlanta | Visitor Agreement © 2000 Cox Interactive Media | Want to advertise on ajc.com? .gif){kind=spacer} |