Biding his time
Sewell has big plans on and off the field
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 24, 2006

Jameel Sewell has a lofty goal.
The details of it might shock you.

It's not about the plans for the redshirt freshman to beat out Christian Olsen for the job as Virginia's quarterback in 2006. That's a given.

In fact, Sewell's goal has nothing to do with football.

After his career at UVa is over, Sewell wants to make a major impact in inner city Richmond.

"I am thinking about majoring in sociology so I can work with kids, and when I graduate from here, I can get a group home together," said Sewell, who graduated from Richmond's Hermitage High School. "I just want to go back and try to make things better. I know one man can't do it, but maybe if I get out there and do it and get some other people with me, things will turn around."

Sewell knows firsthand how tough inner city life can be. He also knows it is possible to persevere.

"I got out of there," Sewell pointed out.

In the meantime, the left-handed throwing quarterback is trying to get adjusted to college life - from textbooks to playbooks.

When spring practice opened a few weeks ago, Sewell's practice time was limited.

"Coach Mike [Groh] had given me limited reps because he needed me to do my schoolwork," Sewell said. "I was struggling with paper writing, so he and the academic advisors gave me all the help I needed. Right now, things are pretty good."

Sewell said he did rather well academically during the first semester, but a D in one class got his attention.

"That was tough," Sewell said. "Not to make an excuse, but I think that was me getting adjusted to college."

Late in the spring practice period, Sewell said he was getting "good grades," so the coaching staff "gradually threw me in there for more plays and more plays."

By the final practice periods, Sewell had moved up the depth chart and was splitting time with backup Kevin McCabe at the No. 2 spot.

McCabe started the Spring Game on Saturday at Scott Stadium for the victorious White team, but it was Sewell that caught the crowd's eye. The 6-foot-2, 213-pounder completed just 5 of 16 passes for 53 yards and threw an interception to Chris Cook, but he danced around for a game-high 39 rushing yards on six carries. He also led the White team on a game-winning drive.

Sewell also had a couple of mental errors, including one that caught coach Al Groh's attention.

"There were a couple of situations that got away from him today," the head coach said. "One was the fourth-down play where I think he misunderstood what was instructed to him from the sideline. We had a little bit of a clock management situation there."

On the fourth-down play in question, Sewell took the handoff and tried a quarterback sneak from three yards away. The officials ruled that his effort was shy of the first-down marker.

"The play call, when it came in, it needed to be a fake," Sewell said. "They wanted me to keep it. I wasn't pleased with the outcome, but I looked at the chains and I thought I got it."

Groh also pointed out a delay-of-game penalty.

"Those are things that come from playing, and that's kind of the value of one of these games, particularly at that position," Groh said. "Players who haven't been out there before have to go out there and deal with those circumstances that aren't part of most of your normal practices. But from a physical execution standpoint, he had some positive plays today."

While Groh has repeatedly said that Olsen will open the preseason practice period as the top signal-caller, Sewell considers the job open. Winning the spot will not be easy.

"Christian Olsen is going to be very, very hard to try to come in and take his spot," Sewell said. "He knows everything. If you go wake him in the middle of his sleep and ask him something about a play, he's just going to go 'Boom' and just spit it out. That's a key. That's another thing that I need, to learn the offense more.

"I know it, but it is needs to be polished."

Sewell said thanks to a redshirt season he was able to slowly learn the offense.

"If I didn't get redshirted, I would've wasted a year because nobody was getting that job from [former quarterback] Marques Hagans," Sewell said. "There was not a quarterback that was going to take that from him."

Instead, Sewell watched Hagans from the sidelines and tried to soak in everything he could. What impressed Sewell the most?

"Hagans was the toughest person out there on the field. He was the most mentally focused person out there," Sewell said. "He is going to play for you, even if you don't play for him. If you are not doing something for him, he was going to pick up your slack. He is going to pick up a defensive lineman's slack. He is going pick up the slack for a safety.

"He was going to put everybody on his back and take his team to another level."

Need an example? Sewell pointed out the Florida State game.

After UVa lost back-to-back league games on the road, Hagans torched the Seminoles' defense for 306 yards and two touchdowns. UVa won 26-21.

During that memorable contest, Sewell spent as much time watching the 63,000-plus fans and thinking about what it will be like when he does something similar.

"After every play, I would look at the crowd and it was just so loud," Sewell said. "It was an experience that I had never experienced before. To see how Hagans kept his composure made me be like 'I have to do what he does.'"

Sewell's chance might be just around the corner.

 

Cavs land big-time recruit
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 24, 2006

When Al Groh lured Mike London away from the NFL and back to Virginia's football program, Cavalier fans hoped that their new defensive coordinator might make a dramatic impact on recruiting in the Tidewater area, a region where it seemed UVa had lost steam.
London, who spent the past season with the Houston Texans, delivered the goods to hopeful Wahoo fans this weekend when he landed his second out of four early Virginia commitments. And what a prospect he reeled in.

J'Courtney Williams is a 6-foot-4, 217-pound blue-chipper, listed as a linebacker/tight end, but recruited by London and UVa as a strong safety. Rated as a preseason Top 100 national prospect by Rivals.com, Williams chose the Cavaliers over a host of other schools that had already offered him a scholarship.

The Urbanna native, who plays for Christchurch, picked Virginia over Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, Louisville, North Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State. Other schools, such as Kansas State had just jumped on board the Williams bandwagon, but alas, it was too late.

Williams visited Clemson and North Carolina recently and missed a scheduled trip to Virginia Tech before attending the Cavaliers' Spring Game on Saturday. While UVa had always been the leader for his services, he had not planned on making a decision until later this summer.

When he walked into Scott Stadium on Saturday, everything changed. Williams and his father joined London in the President's Box from where they gazed down on the field. At that point, London made it a defining moment in the recruitment of the big safety.

"Coach London looked at me and said he wanted me to be part of all this, part of everything going on with Virginia football," said Williams. "It was at that very moment that I knew I didn't want to put it off any longer. I told Coach London that I wanted to be a Cavalier."

There were several factors in Williams choosing the Wahoos, including the school's academic reputation and the proximity to home, so that his family could see him play. He had always liked UVa and he also liked that the Cavs had recruited him as a safety rather than a linebacker, tight end or wide receiver.

But the big deal was the relationship that had been established between him and London.

"Mike London is the one coach that I feel like is family," Williams said of all the coaches from the schools that had recruited him. "That really sealed the deal for me. Not only did he recruit me, but now I get to play for him because he's my defensive coordinator."

Because of Williams' athletic ability and speed (4.55 in the 40) and versatility, the Christchurch player said that London told him Virginia can create special blitz packages to take advantage of his strengths and move him closer to the line of scrimmage to defend the run.

Williams registered some big statistics last season as a junior despite playing only five games due to injury. Still, he managed to record 78 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions on defense, while catching 35 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns.

He is the fourth early commitment for the Cavs, including: Jared Detrick, an inside linebacker from Woodside High School in Newport News; Max Milier, an all-purpose back from Yorktown High in Arlington; and Dominique Joseph, a defensive back/wide receiver from Roman Catholic High in Philadelphia.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Apr 23, 2006

LEADERS: Virginia's football players voted on team captains this week, and their choices were announced before yesterday's spring game at Scott Stadium. Representing the offense are quarterback Christian Olsen and wide receiver Deyon Williams. The defensive captains are cornerback Marcus Hamilton and defensive end Chris Long.

Olsen, Williams and Hamilton will be seniors this season. Long is a rising junior.

Cavaliers coach Al Groh said he planned to have one captain for offense and one for defense but decided to go with two on each side after Olsen and Williams received the same number of votes, as did Hamilton and Long.

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR: The Cavaliers' next recruiting class grew yesterday when J'Courtney Williams committed. Williams, a 6-4, 215-pound junior at the Christchurch School, is projected to play safety at U.Va. He's the fourth player overall and third from a state high school to commit to Virginia for 2007.

Rivals.com reports that Williams has scholarship offers from such schools as Virginia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Clemson and North Carolina.

PROGRESS REPORTS: U.Va. handed out three Rock Weir Awards yesterday. They're annually presented to the players who showed the most improvement during spring practice.

Freshman end Jeffrey Fitzgerald (Hermitage High) and outside linebacker Clint Sintim, a rising sophomore, were recognized on defense and freshman tailback Mikell Simpson on offense.

Like Fitzgerald, Simpson redshirted last season. In yesterday's 40-minute game, Simpson carried seven times for 19 yards, with a long run of 10 yards.

"Mikell's got a ways to go, but he's come a long ways from the first day of spring practice or, for that matter, from the first day of training camp last year," Groh said.

"One of the things that has been involved with him, because he's got, as you can see, a fairly elusive style, he didn't get hit a lot in high school. Obviously the contact level in college football is higher for anybody, but for a player who kind of ran away from the contact and made them all miss in high school, now he's in a situation where the briar patch is a little thicker in this league."

Sintim started every game as a redshirt freshman in 2005 and was the Cavaliers' fifth-leading tackler.

"It isn't so much that he didn't do well last year, but just that he's coming on strong," Groh said. "He has a chance to be one of the better players that we've had since we've been here."

HIGHS AND LOWS: Freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell, who redshirted last season, led all rushers with 39 yards (on six carries). His passing wasn't as sharp. The former Hermitage High star completed 6 of 15 attempts for 53 yards and threw one interception.

On the game's final drive, however, Sewell moved the White team into field-goal range with his legs and his left arm, and Noah Greenbaum did the rest. In a steady rain, the rising senior from Collegiate booted a 44-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 10-7 victory for the White.

Groh was on the field, deep in the offensive backfield, throughout the game. He said Sewell's occasional problems managing the clock and running the offense weren't unusual for a quarterback of such limited college experience.

"There were a couple situations that got away from him today," Groh said. "Those are things that come from playing. That's kind of the value of one of these games, particularly at that position. That players who haven't been out there before have to go out there and deal with those circumstances that aren't part of most of your normal practices. But from a physical execution standpoint, he had some positive plays today."

BETTER LATE THAN EVER: Aaron Clark, a reserve outside linebacker as a true freshman last season, had five tackles for the Blue team yesterday, including one for a 4-yard loss. He also broke up a pass.

"This was probably his best day of the spring," Groh said. "Perhaps the progress wasn't as far here sometimes during the spring as we might have hoped, but this is like the final exam. They're out there on their own, and he made some real good plays today."

SIDELINED: Ten players sat out the spring game: wideouts Emmanuel Byers (injury and academic issues) and Theirrien Davis (injury), safety Nate Lyles (injury), inside linebacker Rashawn Jackson (injury), tailback Michael Johnson (injury), fullback Kevin Bradley (academics), outside linebacker Olu Hall (academics), nose tackle Kevin Crawford (injury), offensive tackle Eugene Monroe (injury) and offensive guard Branden Albert (academics). - Jeff White
 

Drawing notice
Brad Butler played most of the 2005 season injured.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By now, NFL scouts know all about the 6-foot-7, 306-pound offensive lineman who played in 48 games during his Virginia football career, started in four bowl games and was a model student.

Or, maybe they don't.

Those attributes come close to describing D'Brickashaw Ferguson, widely regarded as a first-round selection in the NFL Draft on Saturday, but they actually belong to his four-year UVa bookend, Brad Butler.

Unlike Ferguson, who played in 49 games during his UVa career and is listed at 6-5, 310, Butler won't be drafted in the first round or even on the first day. However, Butler has been making every effort to make himself attractive to NFL scouts despite offseason shoulder surgery.

Butler, from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, injured his left shoulder in the second game of the season but was fitted for a harness and did not miss a game because of injury.

"My option was, 'Did I want the surgery after the Syracuse game or wait till after the season?' " said Butler, who had a torn rotator cuff. "I just wanted to go out there and help my teammates out, this being my last year. I knew the team needed me."

You could differentiate Ferguson and Butler by saying that Ferguson played the left side and Butler the right, but even that wasn't the case when Ferguson suffered a knee injury and Butler slid to the left side for two games.

Injuries never kept Butler out of action, but he was suspended for one game by Virginia this season as the result of a low blow that victimized Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka.

While much of the college football world was decrying the incident, Butler's father, Brad Sr., was hearing from scouts and prospective agents who didn't view it as a negative. Some went so far as to say Brad Jr. had moved up on their draft boards.

"Even though you wouldn't get many NFL guys or coaches to admit it, it's an age-old fact that coaches like a guy who's going to have a little bit of a mean streak and is willing to defend guys on his team," said Butler's agent, Robb Nelson.

"I certainly don't think that hurt Brad at all. Whether or not it helped him, there's no way of measuring it."

Butler is represented by Integrity First Management, a Cincinnati-based firm headed by Anthony Munoz, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a Pro Bowl selection for 11 straight years as an offensive lineman.

"He sits down with me and watches game film with me and then he takes me out three or four times a week and works on drills specific to what I need to work on," said Butler, who has been training in Cincinnati.

"I think it's huge. Obviously, he was a great player, but I get to see what it's like to be a player on the field and off the field. He's one of the most humble people I've ever met. He's big on family and community service and, in today's world, you don't see that very much."

At no point on the IFM Web site is there a suggestion that the firm specializes in offensive linemen, but given Munoz's background, that's where IFM gets a lot of its clientele.

"We do have a greater percentage of offensive linemen, but that's not by design," Nelson said.

UVa team orthopedist Dr. David Diduch repaired Butler's shoulder Jan. 3, and in early April, Butler said he was still "a couple months out" from having full rotation of his shoulder.

Butler wouldn't speculate on the effect the shoulder injury might have had on his 2005 performance. Part of that may have been coach Al Groh's reluctance to discuss injuries, or it may have been Butler's preparation for the political career to which he aspires.

Butler won't even say what party he favors.

"When you see me run for office, that's when you'll find out," he said.
 

Contrite Pinigis to face charge
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Although he was quick to take a seat and rest his ice-wrapped right ankle, Virginia offensive tackle Eddie Pinigis was a stand-up guy Saturday.

Pinigis has been nursing the ankle injury for most of the spring, one reason he hasn't yet cemented a starting job, but he wishes that were his only problem.

On Thursday, Pinigis will appear in Charlottesville General District Court on a charge of entering property with intent to damage.

"I really can't say anything," said Pinigis, a third-year sophomore from Jefferson Forest High School. "The main thing I want to get out is, I just want to apologize to my family, the coaches, the fans and the alumni for bringing this embarrassment to everybody.

"It's something, if I could go back, that I would definitely do differently."

More than a month after the fact, police arrested Pinigis on April 14 in connection with a March 3 fracas outside the Delta Upsilon fraternity house on Rugby Road.

Also arrested were current UVa football players Mike Brown and Zak Stair; former football player Vince Redd; soccer player Michael Giallombardo and women's basketball player Enonge Stovall.

UVa coach Al Groh allowed Brown, Stair and Pinigis to participate in spring practice. Brown, arrested a month before Pinigis and Stair, has been cleared by the University Judicial Committee but also goes to court Thursday.

At the first sign of trouble, Pinigis now knows to keep his distance.

"It's more embarrassing than anything else," said Pinigis, who is set to go before the student court Friday. "I'm just going to take it as a learning experience. It's hard but it's something I'm going to tell my teammates, too, 'It's not worth it. It's definitely not worth it.' "

Recruiting

Ed Homer, football coach at Christchurch School, said Monday that he is reasonably certain that 6-foot-4, 215-pound defensive back J'Courtney Williams is the first Division I-A recruit in school history.

Williams, who committed to Virginia last weekend, is a boarding student from Danville whose freshman year was divided between George Washington High School and Faith Christian in Hurt, Va., where he was viewed as a basketball phenom.

Williams spent the 2003-04 school year at Dan River High School, according to Homer, before enrolling at Christchurch as a repeat sophomore. He is a two-time All-Prep League selection in basketball.

Williams, projected as a safety by the Cavaliers but big enough to play linebacker, is the fourth junior to commit to UVa.

Christchurch is located on the Northern Neck near the Rappahannock River.

In basketball

Herndon High School boys' basketball coach Gary Hall said Virginia is among a group of schools, including Virginia Tech, that have expressed an interest in McDonald's All-American Scotty Reynolds.

Reynolds, a 6-foot point guard who is considered one of the top shooters in the country, signed with Oklahoma in the fall but received a release from the Sooners after head coach Kelvin Sampson went to Indiana.

Hall said that he, Reynolds and Reynolds' family have discussed possible options but are not ready to disclose a new list. Reynolds' trip to Oklahoma in the fall represented his only official visit, so he can take as many as four more paid trips.

"Oklahoma is still one of his choices," said Hall, who entertained Jeff Capel Jr. shortly after he was named Sampson's successor. "Oklahoma will always be on his list."

Hall said that Reynolds "absolutely" will visit other schools.

n Virginia has arranged for fall signee Johnnie Lett to spend the 2006-07 season at Hargrave Military Academy. Even if Lett were to meet Division I eligibility guidelines, which remains a possibility, the UVa staff feels that he would benefit from a year at Hargrave.

Nonrevenue

The Virginia women's rowing team became the third UVa program to win an ACC championship this year, joining men's cross country and men's swimming. The Cavaliers, ranked 11th in the country, bested a field of five to win their seventh women's rowing title in as many years.

Cave Spring graduate Tom Hagan leads Virginia's baseball team in hits (60) and is second on the team in steals (13 in 14 attempts). He is third in the ACC in batting at .395.
 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Apr 25, 2006

FEET FIRST: In Connor Hughes and Kurt Smith, Virginia's football team had two of the nation's premier kicking specialists last season. Hughes handled extra points and field goals, and Smith kicked off.

Both were seniors in 2005, and their jobs may be filled by one kicker - rising junior Chris Gould - this season. Gould, who has the strongest leg of any U.Va. kicker, will take over for Smith, but the competition for Hughes' duties is ongoing.

"I wish it was more conclusive than what it is," Virginia coach Al Groh said yesterday, "but this isn't like trying to nail down your quarterback. You can decide right before the first kickoff."

Gould, who was the Cavaliers' punter in 2005, and rising senior Noah Greenbaum are battling for the job of kicking extra points and field goals.

"Chris' accuracy during the spring was definitely better than the other candidates'," Groh said, "but what you do in the games is a critical thing, too."

In U.Va.'s spring game Saturday at Scott Stadium, Gould missed his only field goal attempt, from 46 yards. Greenbaum had missed from 51 yards on the series that preceded Gould's attempt, but the former Collegiate star connected from 44 yards on the game's final play to lift the White team to a 10-7 victory.

"Each kicker missed one of the kind of kicks you need to make for your team to be good, but Noah came back and showed the resiliency you have to have," Groh said. "On the basis of stepping up and making that last kick, he keeps himself in the mix."

Greenbaum booted a 41-yard field goal against Temple last season.

Ryan Weigand is projected to be the Cavaliers' punter this season, but Gould could fill in at that spot if needed.

SLIVER OF LIGHT? Of the three players Groh dismissed from the team before the start of spring practice, linebacker Ahmad Brooks is likely to apply for the NFL's supplemental draft, and defensive end Vince Redd is expected to transfer to another school.

Defensive back Tony Franklin's plans, however, aren't clear. Groh indicated yesterday that he hasn't ruled out the possibility that Franklin might play for the Cavaliers again.

Franklin, who has one season of eligibility remaining, is on track to graduate from U.Va. next month.

"We've had some discussions with Tony about his future and what the options are," Groh told The Times-Dispatch yesterday, without elaborating.

Franklin, a three-year starter in the secondary, was one of the Cavaliers' captains in 2005. In November, however, he was one of four U.Va. players suspended for the Georgia Tech game because of an unnamed violation of team policy. Franklin was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession in early December and wasn't allowed to practice for or play in the Music City Bowl.

In February, Franklin pleaded guilty to his marijuana charge and received pre-conviction probation.

OLD-TIMER: Defensive coordinator Mike London doesn't have much experience with which to work. Unless Franklin returns, U.Va. will have only one senior on defense this season: cornerback Marcus Hamilton.

"It's also weird looking around and knowing there's only three people left who came in with my class," said Hamilton, who redshirted in 2002.

Of the players who entered the Cavaliers' program in 2002, only Hamilton and running backs Jason Snelling and Michael Johnson remain.

"It is a little weird, but it's just part of the business, I guess," said Hamilton, a second-team all-ACC pick in 2005.

ON THE DIAMOND: After taking two of three games from ACC rival Miami over the weekend - in Coral Gables, Fla., no less - Virginia is well on its way to earning a third straight invitation to the NCAA tournament.

The Cavaliers (13-8, 34-10), ranked No. 20 in the latest Baseball America poll, are tied for second in the ACC's Coastal Division with Georgia Tech (13-8, 32-9). The Coastal leader is North Carolina (15-6, 34-8), which comes to Charlottesville for a three-game series on May 12, 13 and 14.

Virginia's next opponent is Richmond (16-24), which visits at Davenport Field tomorrow night. The teams met April 5 in Richmond, the Cavaliers winning 5-0.

IN THE CREASE: In men's lacrosse, Joe Yevoli holds the school record for goals by a freshman. Yevoli, who's now at Syracuse, scored 40 goals for the Cavaliers in 2002.

Garrett Billings, a first-year attackman for U.Va., has 24 goals this season. He's tied with Tom Duquette (24 goals in 1970) for sixth on U.Va.'s freshman list. Fifth is Matt Ward (26 in 2003), fourth is John Christmas (29 in 2002), third is Michael Watson (31 in 1994) and second is Kevin Pehlke (34 in '90).

What makes Billings' performance especially impressive is this: Unlike Yevoli, Pehlke, Watson, Christmas, Ward and Duquette, he hasn't been a starter. - Jeff White
 

Cavaliers succeed with class
Virginia athletes manage to balance rigorous academic demands posed by attending No. 2 public school with rigorous athletic demands posed by playing for No. 1 Lacrosse team
Bailey Stephens, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Living up to the academic rigors of the No. 2 ranked public school in the nation isn't easy for anyone. Playing on the No. 1 ranked men's lacrosse team in the nation isn't a piece of cake either. But athletes on the Virginia men's lacrosse team manage to do both.

Combining hours of work on the field with hours of work in the classroom, the team (12-0) has successfully pulled off an undefeated season while almost completing another semester -- the last for a senior class that knows the rigors and day in, day out challenge of being a student-athlete.

"It's very hard," senior J.J. Morrissey said. "In season you're spending about four to five hours a day at the practice field. Then you have to go home and do the homework everyone else does. It makes things difficult, but the reward, especially with seasons like this, is amazing to see what you've gone through."

The reward is close both in the classroom and on the field for this year's seniors. Virginia has been No. 1 in the national rankings for the majority of the season and is the favorite going into the NCAA Tournament. Finishing off their season with a 21-10 win over Bellarmine Saturday, the Cavaliers are not only undefeated but are the only undefeated team in the nation.

Winning the national championship would be icing on the cake for the class of 2006 -- which boasts a lofty academic schedule as well. The team will lose 11 seniors in May, among them, captains Matt Ward, Morrissey and Michael Culver. Ward will graduate with a degree from the McIntire School of Commerce, while Morrissey will walk the lawn with a B.A. in History and Culver will take away a degree in English.

"To be a student athlete is tough," Ward said. "You get to class and people don't realize that you have practice all week. It's very time consuming, but you build something special. You have over thirty kids on your team and you build a special bond with them that I don't think most kids in college get. It's certainly taxing."

Chasing players into conducting themselves as representatives of their school is a job many coaches lament. But for coach Dom Starsia, the job takes care of itself.

"This [senior class] is a group that makes my life easy every single day," Starsia said. "It's hard for the freshmen not to go at full speed when they see J.J. Morrissey and Culver going all out with everything that they do.Not just on Saturdays. They set the proper example on and off the field. It's really an inspiring group."

This group will kick off the ACC Tournament next weekend just as most students are preparing to kick off finals. Only for them, it's not an either or thing. Regardless of the outcome of the tournament, exams will be waiting when the team returns.

"Keeping up with your schoolwork is difficult, but coach does a good job of keeping us on task and all the kids here are well-rounded," Ward said. "Good students, good athletes stand up to the challenge."
 

Settlement reached in Michael Vick case

ATLANTA — A woman who charged in a lawsuit that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease has agreed to an undisclosed resolution of the case, his attorney said Monday.

"The case has been resolved," attorney Lawrence Woodward said.

When asked if the details of the agreement between Vick and the woman, Sonya Elliott, would be disclosed, Woodward said: "The only comment I've got is the case has been resolved."

Elliott, a 26-year-old health care worker, claimed she tested positive for herpes after unprotected sex with Vick in April 2003. In the complaint, filed in Gwinnett County State Court, Elliott contended that Vick "apologized profusely" for failing to disclose he was infected with the disease, which can be treated but not cured.

The lawsuit also claimed Vick used the alias "Ron Mexico" when seeking treatment for the disease.
 

Lacrosse players face old charges
The Durham district attorney says he will reinstate misdemeanor charges in some cases
Benjamin Niolet and Joseph Neff, Staff Writers

DURHAM - District Attorney Mike Nifong plans to reinstate misdemeanor charges against a half-dozen Duke lacrosse players, saying a March 13 party where a woman reported a rape broke the deals that the players made with prosecutors.
Nifong's decision could affect players who, before the party, had entered agreements in which prosecutors would dismiss the cases if the players performed community service and stayed out of trouble for six months or a year. Among the first to have his charges reinstated was David Evans, one of the team captains who lived at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., the site of the party in which lacrosse players hired two women from escort services to dance. One of the women told police that she was raped by three men in a bathroom.

Two players, Collin Finnerty, 19, and Reade William Seligmann, 20, were charged last week with first-degree rape, first-degree sex offense and first-degree kidnapping. Their attorneys say the men are innocent.

On Monday, an attorney for Seligmann filed a motion seeking information that would help attack the credibility of the woman, the only person, according to the defense filing, who says a rape occurred. The motion seeks information about the woman, including criminal charges, mental and emotional problems the woman has suffered as well as social services, probation, child protective services and victim's advocacy records.

Today, Finnerty is due in a Washington court where prosecutors in an assault charge are considering whether to revoke a deferred prosecution agreement similar to those affecting other players in Durham.

According to court records, 16 players were charged in the past three years with misdemeanor charges in Durham including noise violations, public urination and alcohol violations. The deals placed the men on probation for either six months or a year. They were to complete community service and in some cases were required to abide by the rules and regulations of the university. The deals required the men to pay fees and in some cases remain in school.

Nifong said he will reinstate the charges against players whose deferred prosecution deals are still active, unless they can show they were not at the party.

He said he is reinstating a noise violation and an alcohol possession charge against Evans because he was one of the men who threw the party.

"He was one of the people who rented the house that was serving alcohol to underage people and hiring strippers," Nifong said in an interview. "In order to put somebody under deferred prosecution, the DA has to, under requirements of the statute, certify that he does not believe the person is likely to do any further criminal acts. Under the circumstances, it's hard for me to see how we could maintain that."

Evans' attorney, Joseph B. Cheshire V, could not be reached.

In all cases, the men first had to admit guilt. Evans has court dates in May.

Seligmann and Finnerty are also due in court in May for a procedural hearing in the rape case.

According to Seligmann's attorney, Kirk Osborn, no forensic evidence or confessions link him to a sexual assault.

"Sources indicate that the complaining witness has more than one version of her story," Osborn wrote. "Her story is also disputed by other irrefutable facts and witnesses with knowledge of the complaining witness and those accused by her."

Lawyers representing the players have said time stamped photos, ATM statements and a restaurant receipt would show that Seligmann was not at the party when the woman said she was raped. But it is unclear exactly when she says the assault began and ended. As he is required to do by law, Osborn's filing Monday puts the state on notice that Seligmann may introduce an alibi defense.

In his filing Osborn is seeking information about the accuser's criminal record, which includes a 2002 incident in which she had given a lap dance to a cab driver as part of an audition to work at a strip club. She ended up stealing his car and leading police on a chase. The woman later had the charges reduced to misdemeanors under a plea agreement.

The filing is routine and asks for things that Nifong, under state law, is required to hand over anyway, said Richard Myers, assistant professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill.

"By making this request, the defense attorney preserves his options for later appeal in the event that anything wasn't disclosed," Myers said.

Finnerty's lawyers, Bill Cotter of Durham and Wade Smith of Raleigh, had not made a similar filing by Monday.

 

Lacrosse player's lawyer seeks evidence
AARON BEARD
Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C. - The attorney for one of two Duke lacrosse players charged with raping a stripper demanded on Monday that prosecutors turn over the accuser's medical, legal and education records for use in attacking her credibility.

Kirk Osborn, who represents player Reade Seligmann, said the material will provide "rich sources of information for impeaching the complaining witnesses."

Osborn also asked a judge to hold a pretrial hearing to "determine if the complaining witness is even credible enough to provide reliable testimony."

"This request is based on the fact that the complaining witness has a history of criminal activity and behavior, which includes alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and dishonesty, all conduct which indicate mental, emotional and/or physical problems, which affect her credibility as a witness," the defense said in court papers.

District Attorney Mike Nifong, who has not granted an interview about the case in weeks, refused to comment.

Last week, Seligmann, of Essex Fells, N.J., was indicted on rape charges along with teammate Collin Finnerty of Garden City, N.Y.

Authorities believe they were two of the three white men who the 27-year-old black woman says raped her in a bathroom of a house March 13.

In Monday's motions, Osborn wrote that no forensic evidence links Seligmann to the alleged crimes, based on the limited information provided to the defense by prosecutors.

The case is based only on the accuser's testimony, and she has given conflicting accounts to authorities, Osborn wrote.

The defense motions asked for information about the accuser's mental health, any hospital commitments and drug abuse, and information about her probation and parole.

The motions do not cite any specific evidence to support its claims about the accuser, and Osborn declined to answer questions about the court filings.

Defense attorneys have trumpeted DNA test results they say found no link between the 46 players tested and the accuser. Nifong asked a private lab to perform additional tests on the samples. The results are not expected before May 15, Nifong told a Durham newspaper last weekend.

Monday's motions were the latest sign the defense plans to attack the credibility of the accuser, a 27-year-old single mother and student at nearby North Carolina Central University.

Before last week's indictments, attorneys for the players pointed to the victim's criminal history when answering questions about their clients' legal troubles.

According to court records, the accuser stole the taxi of a man to whom she was giving a lap dance at a Durham strip club in June 2002. She pleaded guilty to various misdemeanors.

Also Monday, Osborn told the court he planned to present an alibi defense, based on the testimony of witnesses who are "known to, or should have been known by, the district attorney."

The defense has suggested a timeline that argues that if the accuser and a second dancer performed around midnight, Seligmann would not have had time before he left the party to participate in the 30-minute assault described by the accuser.

Osborn also asked for background information about any prospective prosecution witnesses.

On Tuesday, Finnerty is scheduled to appear in a Washington, D.C., courtroom for a status hearing in a simple assault case dating from November.

In that case, Finnerty entered a court program under which the charges would be dismissed if he completed 25 hours of community service.

The program required Finnerty not to commit any criminal offenses, and a spokeswoman for Washington's U.S. Attorney's Office said last week authorities were considering revoking the agreement.

The simple assault charge carries a potential penalty of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Finnerty's attorney, Bill Cotter, did not return calls seeking comment Monday.