Ike is back

As broken on Beamerball.com Ike Whitaker has emerged from alcohol rehab and rejoined the Hokies. In an extremely revealing and open interview, Whitaker elaborates on his behavior last season and Coach Frank Beamer's views on that behavior. If you're not a member of Beamerball.com, it's worth looking into.

The thing about alcohol rehab is that it is impossible to tell how successful it has been until time has passed (especially when young people are involved). Everything sounds rosy now but it will take consistent behavior and leadership on Whitaker's part to earn the trust of the coaches back.

Interestingly, Whitaker appears to have formed a reputation as a partier on the team and the reason he wasn't handed the keys to the team may have been tied to that reputation and the chance that the Hokies' starting QB would end up in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons.

I think it's healthy that Whitaker acknowledged his problem and did something about it. If he has truly cleaned up, I believe he will get an honest shot at the starting QB role. That is what Whitaker needs - the motivation to do it the right way. And what better motivation than an opportunity to be QB on a team that has all the pieces in place (except QB right now) to win an ACC title in a year when the ACC figures to be very tough.

We'll see what happens. Here's to hoping for the best.