Thursday, October 2, 2008

Ike Whitaker Suspended

The athletics department issued a release today stating wide receiver Ike Whitaker has been suspended indefinitely for for violating team policy.

Whitaker, who was the lone returning receiver with a catch after the suspension of Zach Luckett, played in three games and caught three passes for 14 yards this season. He had been receiving less playing time in favor of younger receivers like Xavier Boyce in recent games.

Whitaker wasn't listed on the two-deep at either split end or flanker for this week's game. My guess is this is more of a Brandon Ore-type suspension than a Zach Luckett-type suspension.

By all accounts, he had turned his life around after entering alcohol rehabilitation in 2006. He was able to return to the team and see time at receiver last year. He had developed into an excellent run blocker from the position.

My guess is the former quarterback was told what he needed to do to see more playing time and he just didn't do it. Hopefully Ike can get things together. The team will be fine without him, but I wish him the best of luck.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is what the staff at VT wants people to think, the truth is that this Kid did everything the couches asked him to do. Ike was killing them in practice, this kid should have been the QB and when they made him move over to WR he should have been the starter. VT has their favorite player that they let get away with anything and everything, Ike wasn't one of them. When the two couches left that recruited Ike this school and the new couches put Ike on the done list because he wasn't born in VA. You don't take any kid that's raked in to top 5 in the nation at any position and not play that kid. For all Kid that live in MD, DC,Delware they going to look at this and decide not to go to VT because of the treatment that Ike's getting. I'm not saying that this Kid was the best student but what happen to him in 2006 should not be held against him. MD kid will not go to VT anymore.