Wrestling transfers sue Virginia Tech
By Iowa City Press-Citizen
Five former members of the Virginia Tech wrestling team who have expressed their intent to transfer to Iowa filed a lawsuit Friday against their former school and its athletic director, Jim Weaver.
The wrestlers announced they would follow former Virginia Tech coach Tom Brands to Iowa when he became the Hawkeyes’ new coach in April, but Virginia Tech denied their immediate release from scholarship and said it would not grant the releases until after the 2007 season.
The wrestlers are claiming a breach of contract, saying before they signed with Virginia Tech, Weaver promised them they could transfer without penalty if Brands were to leave the program.
The wrestlers, who all came to Virginia Tech in the fall of 2004, are blue-chip recruits Brent Metcalf and Georgia native T.H. Leet as well as former Iowa high school standouts Jay Borschel, Dan LeClere and Joey Slaton. Without a release from Virginia Tech, the five will lose a year of eligibility and not be able to receive an athletic scholarship at Iowa for a year.
A news release from the wrestlers’ lawyer John Robertson stated, “After attempting to negotiate with university officials to secure the releases to avoid litigation, the student-athletes have concluded that they have no option available other than to request that the Virginia State court enforce the commitments made by Weaver and Virginia Tech.”
The case is pending before the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Virginia.
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