Details on the W&M win over UVa-very interesting

Interesting tidbit from the W&M-UVa game. Apparently it all came down to a coach's challenge pertaining to the 8th Amendment.

Representatives of the the University of Virginia School of Law based their argument on elements drawn from Dennis Baker's assertion that the evolving standards of decency accords with the moral purpose of the Eighth Amendment and the Framer’s intent that the right be used to prevent citizens being subjected to all forms of unjust and disproportionate punishments which even a lay person would have to see as an undercut of their own case given the factual history of the Groh tenure as the head of the UVa program.


Representatives of the William and Mary school of law (formerly known as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law) countered by citing elements of Trop v. Dulles 356 .U.S. 86(1958) asserting that given the relative age of the contestants in the game the standards of the 8th Amendment must indeed "draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society."

Adding that under Rummel v. Estelle , 445 US 263 (1980), the Court upheld a life sentence with the possibility of parole for fraud crimes totaling $230 which would clearly be sufficiently met given the ticket prices collectively paid by UVa sports fans not only for this specific event but in their lifetime of faithful renewal of support for an almost certain disasterous outcome (save for Uva v. Florida State, 1995)

The game officials conferred with the booth which sided with the Warren court (Trop) and found UVa's argument moot but stopped short of invoking provisions found in - Wilkerson v. Utah , 99 US 130 (1878), in which the Court stated that death by firing squad was not cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment much to the relief of Coach Groh.

How far have the Cavs fallen? Lived in the Charlottesville area back in '92. What beautiful country and a great atmosphere for College Football. I still keep my eye on them. I saw that score and just stared in disbelief. I mean, they've always been known as chokers, but this...this is beyond the abyss. I hope you're wearing buttons that say "Groh away"! A flat out embarassment.

he burned all of this Hoo paraphernalia

the neighbors and the fire department were involved

It was bad enough to lose to Duke last year, but this loss is beyond the pale. The Cavs have no leadership and no direction. It wasn't too long ago that you could be sure UVA would at least get into one of those December bowl games. And now they're losing to the MFing Tribe.

but I have said to several of my fellow Hoo fans that as long as he turns out pros and the players aren't getting arrested the C'ville crowd will keep him around. Such is UVa. Such is why they can never get to the next level-they still view it as a recreational endeavor for the student body instead of getting a coach to build a program that wins consistently. George "Booger" Welsh got them out of the near-club-level program but the decision on Groh at best kept them from going down at worst retarded the upward trend.

Groh has a horrible reputation with Va. highschool coaches so I am told. That is why Beamer is wiping the floor with him in recruiting in-state.

Groh pulled 9 wins out of his a** two years ago including one of the top kickers in the country (Wake Forest) missing a gimme. It was all smoke and mirrors. Last year Groh band-aided preventing them from getting embarassed by Tech by doing the Wildcat thing all game which was more a sign of weakness than ingenuity.