Referee says he would have tossed Vick had he seen stomp

NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA - The referee whose crew didn't see Marcus Vick stomp on the left calf of an opponent in the Gator Bowl said Wednesday that he would have thrown the Virginia Tech quarterback out of the game had he seen the infraction happen.

``We missed that, and I'm sorry we did,'' Steve Usecheck told the Daily Press of Newport News from his home in Colorado. ``You bet I would have thrown his ass out.''

Vick did not draw a flag for stomping on the left leg of Louisville All-American Elvis Dumervil late in the second quarter, but the Hokies were still whistled for four personal fouls in the opening half. Another was offset by a call against Louisville.

One of the personal fouls led to the ejection of Hokies cornerback Jimmy Williams, a consensus All-American, after he was caught swinging an arm at linesman Al Green.

The Hokies calmed down after the break, Usecheck said, and rallied to win 35-24.

Usecheck, a regular official in the Big 12 for 22 seasons who has worked 14 bowl games, described Virginia Tech's behavior during a foul-plagued first half as ``brutal.''

``I was really disappointed. We don't see football like that,'' he said, adding the Hokies were guilty of late hits and taunting in the half. ``Those kids were just completely out of control. ... Louisville wasn't as bad. Virginia Tech was brutal.''

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said Tuesday that Vick's actions during the game were an embarrassment to the university and would be reviewed and assessed.

Coach Frank Beamer did not return a message left at his office Wednesday, and university spokesman Larry Hincker said it wasn't clear when a decision would be made by Beamer, athletic administrators and school president Charles M. Steger.

The incident is the latest in a line of trouble for Vick since he elected to follow his brother, Michael Vick, to Virginia Tech. The elder Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 national championship game and was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NFL draft by Atlanta.

But his act has proven difficult to follow for Marcus Vick, who played in 11 games as a backup as a freshman, then was suspended from school for all of last season.

First, Vick was arrested, along with teammates Mike Imoh and Brenden Hill, for giving alcohol to 14- and 15-year-old girls. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor.

Vick also later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession after police stopped him on Interstate 64 near Richmond in July 2004.

The suspension was announced the same day as Vick appeared in a New Kent County courthouse, and Steger at the time made it seem his patience was running short.

``Vick won't play this year and loses that year of eligibility,'' Steger said that day. ``If there is any more trouble, his Virginia Tech career is effectively ended.''

Steger was unavailable for comment Wednesday, his office said.

In Vick's absence, the Hokies won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in their first year in the league, then lost 16-13 to No. 3 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl.

Upon his return this season, Vick was jeered by fans at road games, and drew additional negative attention by making an obscene gesture to fans at West Virginia, where he was called names related to his prior transgressions throughout the game.