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Tech withdraws scholarship for Amherst student facing drug charges

Photo

Peter Rose, left, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of distribution of drugs within 1,000 feet of the school, both felonies, and two counts of distribution of marijuana. At right is Jody Vaughn Ramsey, 18, charged with marijuana distribution.

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By Nate Warters

Published: May 19, 2008

Virginia Tech has withdrawn a football scholarship offer to Peter O’Brian Rose following the Amherst County High School senior’s arrest Friday on drug charges.

Rose, 18, was arrested and charged with two counts of distribution of drugs within 1,000 feet of the school, both felonies, and two counts of distribution of marijuana.

The former Lancers quarterback signed a letter of intent in February to play for the Hokies.

“Each scholarship offer we make is contingent upon a number of requirements, one of which is maintaining the high standards required of each recruit in their community, school and on the football field,” Tech football coach Frank Beamer said Monday in a university news release. “I am disappointed that this action was necessary.”

Beamer said he would have no further comment on the decision to pull the scholarship offer. Hokies director of athletics Jim Weaver declined to comment.

Rose orally committed to the Hokies in July, turning down scholarship offers from the Naval Academy, Syracuse and Ohio University.

He went on to lead the Lancers to their second straight Group AA, Division 4, state championship in December.

Both the Associated Press and the Virginia High School Coaches Association named him the Virginia Group AA player of the year last season, and The News & Advance named him its all-area offensive player of the year.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Rose was a dual-threat quarterback. He rushed for 1,790 yards and 27 touchdowns and passed for 1,137 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2007.

He led the Lancers to 26 straight wins, a streak that was capped by their 47-7 drubbing of Harrisonburg in the state championship game Dec. 8. He rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns that day.

Rose spoke of his college future a few weeks after wrapping up his high school career.

“I just feel blessed every day. … I can’t wait to get out there and see what the atmosphere is like, and to experience something new,” he said at the time. “I’m real excited.”

Rose is one of seven current and former Amherst County High School students facing drug charges following a 10-month undercover operation in which a sheriff’s deputy posed as a student.

Another student charged, 18-year old Jody Vaughn Ramsey, is a senior and the starting catcher for the Lancers varsity baseball team. He was charged with one count of distribution of marijuana.

The remaining students are juveniles; police have not released their names.

Reader Reactions

Posted by ( crispy daisy ) on May 23, 2008 at 7:41 am

freedom, in any of my many posts here, do you see a single one that says ANYTHING about drug reform? You don’t have any idea what my opinion on drug reform is, and it makes no difference anyway.

My only point is that what these kids did was illegal, they knew it was illegal, and they made the decision to do it anyway. Nothing else is relevant. They broke the law and they’re facing the consequences. Nobody is to blame but them.

You feel that everybody else in the world is to blame for these kids’ decision to sell drugs and that nothing should happen to them. Got it. Personal responsibility means nothing. I’m sick of hearing it. Bye.

Posted by ( hogtown gal ) on May 22, 2008 at 9:43 pm

Lisam, After the State Police determining who the reaal killer of Justin is, DO YOU STILL HOLD YOUR HIGH OPINION OF THE AMHERST SHERIFF’S DEPT?

Posted by ( freedom ) on May 22, 2008 at 5:43 pm

,,hey miiss daisy,,DARRELL LAURANT of this n/a just wrote about this wakkie demon weed,,read it ,,he sure has done a much better job than i have trin to get my idea thoughts across,,but miss DAISY,,i,m totally,totally shocked of your admission of use 40 yrs ago!!,,surely if you have been there and tried it ,,how can you be so down on any type of drug reform,,now my mind/ head is exploding!!

Posted by ( crispy daisy ) on May 22, 2008 at 3:42 pm

freedom, nobody in the world has a lower opinion of our President than I do. I think he’s a dangerous man and that much of the damage he’s done in the world can never be repaired. That said, there’s no way he can be blamed for some students in Amherst, VA selling drugs.

There were illegal drugs long before Bush was elected and there will continue to be illegal drugs long after he’s gone. I used illegal drugs almost 40 years ago. Pretty much every country in the world has a problem with illegal drugs. As with any other kind of crime, it’s impossible to completely eradicate.

The illegal drug trade is like any business—it’s based on supply and demand. If there were no demand, it wouldn’t matter how many illegal drugs are available. The fact is that there’s plenty of demand, and people like these kids work both sides of the equation. They keep the drug trade going.

My point is that they decided to sell drugs of their own free will, knowing that what they were doing was wrong. The fact that our government can’t keep drugs out of the country doesn’t absolve them of the responsibility for making that choice. Millions and millions of people choose NOT to sell or use drugs, despite their availability.

Posted by ( freedom ) on May 22, 2008 at 1:52 pm

..now,now,DASEY,,be nice,,i,m DYSLEXIA,,and i hate it and its been real hard for me in life,,i,m sorry that this thing dosen,t have SPELL CHECK,,but like you said you got the meaning,,thats what counts,,and yes i do blame the PRESIDENT //all of gov,,if he can prevent terror attacks ,,then he can prevent drugs,,govenor/senator ROBB..was implicated w/cocaine at va.beach and a messsage( a back rubbing lady) in roanoke,,my theory is that our elected officials like to get high and thus turn a blind eye to drugs,,like they love money and turn a blind eye on immagration ,,oh i still say u need a shrink,by the way i did go to a private college where i major in psych and worked at old.dominion.job.cor

Posted by ( hscoach ) on May 22, 2008 at 10:46 am

This arrest may be the wake-up call that all the young men needed. Rose will find another school for which he can play and, this time, hopefully he’ll be clean.

Posted by ( crispy daisy ) on May 22, 2008 at 10:02 am

freedom, thanks so much for your very kind offer of time for my whatevers. I don’t need a psycotrist (psychiatrist?) to understand your posts—I need a translator.

“endogesiness and exdogesiness”??? Do you by any chance mean endogenesis and exogenesis? Could “varibles” be “variables”?

Anyway, I get the gist of your argument—it’s the President’s fault that these kids in Amherst are selling drugs, and they are merely innocent victims. Great theory. Thanks.

Posted by ( Iceman ) on May 22, 2008 at 7:58 am

Every person is accountable for their own actions, the price he will pay is unfortunate but a good lesson. He made a choice and that choice ruined his future career. Once again it is all about choices he got caught, make the bed so lay in it.

Posted by ( freedom ) on May 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm

.miss dazie,,i have time now for your whatevers,,you need a psycotrist,to understand the ,,endogesiness and exdogesiness varibles at work here as well as the independent and dependent varibles ,,,good luck

Posted by ( freedom ) on May 21, 2008 at 2:37 pm

,,DASEY,,your head should explode,,i,m not gonna waste my time explaining my logic,,or pun,s or metaphors