Yesterday revealed a twist to Virginia Tech's preparation for their season opener against No. 13 South Carolina as news broke that starting LB Caleb Woodson was charged on Saturday with a misdemeanor DWI.
Following that news, head coach Brent Pry revealed during his weekly press conference that Woodson's status for Sunday's game was "yet to be determined". His captaincy was also revoked though Pry did share that there would be a path for Woodson to earn it back.
That news has led to many wondering whether Woodson should and/or will play Sunday against South Carolina or if he will be suspended for the season opener instead.
In my view, it's pretty clear how Virginia Tech should move forward regarding Caleb Woodson.
If Woodson intends to make his case that he did not break the law, then he should not be suspended while he pursues that. If Woodson is found guilty after that, then a one-game suspension should be put in place for the following game.
However, if it's clear that Woodson did indeed commit DWI, the Hokies' junior linebacker should be suspended for the season opener against No. 13 South Carolina.
This isn't just going 26 mph over the speed limit as was the case for Woodson earlier this summer when he charged with reckless driving back on July 30 according to Roanoke Times reporter Damien Sordelett.
This was a choice to drive in an impaired state, putting himself and anyone else in his driving vicinity in danger. This isn't an act where a punishment of running a bunch of steps at Lane Stadium should be considered acceptable.
There will be plenty of fans who feel that Virginia Tech should just do what other schools have done like Oklahoma State not suspending star RB Ollie Gordon at the beginning of last season for a DUI. That doesn't meant that Oklahoma State made the right call whatsoever because hint, they didn't. These are young men who should be held accountable for their own good because if they don't learn now, the consequences later in life will be much greater.
By the way, look how things are going at Oklahoma State right now. Seems like their culture isn't delivering much success on the field and a lack of accountability could be part of that, especially for a program that wildly missed expectations last season and was the biggest P4 disappointment outside of Florida State.
If there was a true commissioner overseeing college athletics, Woodson would almost certainly be suspended for this game.
There are also other recent precedents that would put a one-game suspension for the season opener in line with other major college programs and the NFL
Former Clemson basketball star and now TE Ian Schieffelin was charged with a DUI over the summer. Though the charge was recently dropped, the Tigers' new tight end will be suspended for the season opener against LSU in what is a very similar situation to Woodson.
Georgia suspended Trevor Etienne, their leading running back, for their season opener against Clemson last season due to a DUI.
In the NFL, Jordan Addison and Demarcus Robinson became the latest examples of a player suspended three games for a DUI. The league historically has suspended players for 2-3 games for DUIs, though this misdemeanor DWI does appear to be a lower-level charge than the DUIs.
Woodson's dangerous driving also isn't a first time incident and at some point, you have to deliver some harsher punishments to hopefully break through rather than just internal punishments.
I could see a good case for a non-suspension punishment if this was a first time driving incident for Woodson but even then, at least one game would still be fitting. The fact that he does have a history means in my view that there is a much stronger case for a multi-game suspension than zero games.
Would Woodson being suspended for Sunday's game against No. 13 South Carolina hurt Virginia Tech's chances of upsetting the Gamecocks? Absolutely.
Should that matter in whether VT should suspend him or not? No
Unless Woodson has a serious case to make in court that he didn't break the law, he should be suspended for Sunday's game against No. 13 South Carolina.
Actions have consequences and Woodson should be relieved that the greatest consequences of this action is hurting his team's ability to win a football game, rather than himself or another person being injured or worse by his decision to drive impaired.
