Promising redshirt sophomore wide receiver Joshua Stanford is taking a leave of absence from the football team.
Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer announced in a statement that Stanford will take a leave of absence from the team to take care of some personal issues. Beamer said there will be no further comment on the situation.
As a redshirt freshman last season, Stanford set two Tech freshman records by catching 40 passes for 640 yards. He accounted for one touchdown over his 707 snaps at wideout in 2013, compared to no scores and 16 plays (5 receptions, 35 yards) this season. A hamstring injury partially hampered early season production.
Receiving threats Willie Byrn, Isaiah Ford, Bucky Hodges and Ryan Malleck all have double-or-more receptions than Stanford.
At this time it's unclear why the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native and Martin Luther King (Georgia) product is stepping away from the program.
Comments
This displeases me greatly. I hope everything is okay with him, thoughts are with him.
Ditto. Sometimes we forget about the enormous pressure these guys are put under and we only see them in one light, as football players. And that is completely unfair, as they have good days and bad days like the rest of us.
We'll miss watching him play, but I think I speak for most when I say that we care about the person more than our football team. As TheFifthFuller says, hope all is well and our thoughts are with him.
Hopefully it's nothing serious.
Double site post! Finish your drink
Joe and French are exempt from the rules of us mere mortals methinks...
So does anyone own any nectar?
It was only two drops man, you have had plenty of great catches don't go! All kidding aside I hope everything works out and you are back soon!
Well damn...
This is a problem, but, as I did for Carlis, I hope everything is alright. It's unfortunate to see players go through troubling times, but it's a reminder that they have lives outside of the sport too.
All the best for Josh. Hopefully he can be back on the field as soon as possible. This also could be the reason for some of the drops on Saturday. Maybe he had something else on his mind. Thoughts are with him.
Best of luck to him in resolving any challenges in his personal life while he works towards his degree. If he decides to return to the team, best of luck on that too. If not, thanks for the great freshman season, and make sure to stay a part of Hokie Nation.
I kinda had a feeling this was brewing, but since I can't divulge anything due to my career I will leave it at that. Hope this kid gets everything worked out and is back on the field soon.
I won't ask you to divulge anything.
Except what your career is.
Public service
that sounds sketchy
What it implies about Stanford, or public service itself?
I took it as a counselor of some sort, hence the note about the career and the inability to share. I'll leave it at that, I just hope anyone who is in a position to help him will take the time to do so.
If it's a family thing, I hope the best for him, and hope our family atmosphere could help.
If it's an on-the-field-thing that is getting to him, then I hope Corey Marshall could help.
Attorney??
mmmmhhhhmmmm...the plot thickens. Best of luck to the kid. He seems like a good guy.
Merriam-Webster
public service noun
: the business of supplying something (such as electricity, gas, or transportation) to the members of a community
: something that is done to help people rather than to make a profit
: work that someone does as part of a government : the work done by public servants
Vague description - well done. For all I know, you work for Dominion Power and Stanford is behind on his payments...
oh boy, I hope he doesn't punch people in the neck for a living.
Wait are... are you a hooker?
Honestly honey, theat may look like me but, it's a trick of the lighting, or a setup or something.
if it's family or personal issues above pride, i wish him all the best. if it's pride...rise above it.
Let's hope whatever the issue is for him, he comes through it stronger than ever.
Best of luck to you, Josh, and hope to see you back soon.
Here's to hoping Josh handles his personal issues and gets back out there.
If he can't get back on the VT field, I wish him the best in the game of life.
He's a great and very valuable player and that we need. Hope everything is ok and he works things out and comes back soon. We got your back Josh!
I loved the video of him and Coach Moorehead guessing music (I think it was on the big screen at Bill & Mary game). I'm sure Coach Moorehead will be keeping tabs on him as he addresses his life decisions.
We all need to be Chopping Wood for the right reasons!
I hope my fellow Mississaugaian and Georgian is alright. (Yes, I am also from Mississauga and then moved to GA). I wish him the best.
... at an improbability factor of 2^267,709:1 against.
Mississauga = Magrathea
ESPN is reporting Stanford was granted "leave of absence" from team to take care of personal issues.
(edit: this confirms what Joe says initially. Doesn't mean he quitting).
I'm at the age where all of these players are my own kids' ages. I wouldn't begin to speculate what is going on, nor do I care to know...as it should remain private.
I just hope that he deals with it, learns from it, and comes out better on the other side.
I'm really glad Frank has his head on straight about the things guys go through. Once he says nothing more will be said about it, it goes in the vault and he keeps it all in confidence.
I don't know what is going on with him but I was disappointed to see him sitting on the bench during the final few minutes of the game Saturday. All other players were up cheering on the offense and defense and he was sitting on the bench.
He had two pretty key drops, but he is special for sure
Apparently he quit the team right after the ECU game on Saturday - Then met with the coaches Sunday. Also, he tweeted something during the summer about not liking blacksburg.
#SOURCES
He tweeted it himself during the summer
Someone said this before but it was never proven or brought up when it originally happened. Not saying it didn't, but seriously doubting it with lack of evidence.
Ya, I agree. I just read his twitter page, and numerous times he talks about how much he loves both Blacksburg and everyone in Hokie Nation.
The "I just work here" tweet was from early Feb, around NSD. We all discussed how he wasn't helping recruiting with that tweet.
Can you find that thread because I can't?
On TKP? No, I can't. Maybe it was on techsideline.
But I distinctly remember discussing how Moorehead was going to have his ass for that comment.
Remember it as well. As he was coming back for Spring semester he tweeted out that he was dreading coming back and it was just business. Caught a lot of crap for it but also posts stuff about how he loves HokieNation so it's tit for tat.
I really like the kid but I saw a few things on Twitter myself. I never saw the "I just work here" tweet but I did see several about not liking Blacksburg and missing home.
I heard it from a friend. But it makes sense to me after i watched him sit on the bench and sulk (after his two huge dropped passes) while all of his other teammates celebrated the comeback. It might not be true at all but it makes sense to me.
It just really seems like a leap with little evidence other than him sulking on the sideline. We have no idea what is going on in his life and we shouldn't speculate. Let's just hope for the best for him.
On a more positive note, I've really been impressed with Trey Edmunds. That kid is going through a lot right now with his injury, and younger guys getting his reps. I noticed him on the sideline Saturday really talking it up on the bench, and cheering the comeback on big time.
He's got the makings of a great Hokie.
Speaking of Trey Edmunds, I walked past him and his brothers after the game Saturday. Trey is supposedly 6-1 and Terrell is 6-2...I'm not so sure that's accurate. His brothers both looked at least 6-4 to me. Gigantic monsters all three of them each one bigger than the last.
I thought the youngest brother was listed as 6'4
FRICK!!! Hopefully this is just some personal issues and some time off will let him get it all straightened out and nothing more serious. The grind of the football season has to be hell on their off the field lives. Kudos to Frank and Moorehead for giving him the room to do this, I hope he knows he doesn't have to go it alone, Hokie nation prides itself on a family atmosphere.
damn I hate to see this for him, I thought this was going to be his breakout year. I just hope he can get through his personal issues well. hope we will see him on the field soon
well this officially sucks A$$.
Is that a girl? If so, badass.
Didn't realize Michael Bay could be hired for home movies.
I don't mean to criticize Charlotte Hokie, but the only park that sucks a$$ about the GIF is that I am not the one flying through the air and into the water. I really want to try it!
I'm going to try to be delicate because I don't know the details of his leave of absence. However, based off the things I'm reading here I'm really hoping it has something to do with legitimate personal issues and I hope he takes care of it and he's okay. I hope this isn't a case of a player sulking because he isn't getting enough balls thrown his way, or isn't a focal point of the offense to this point because it is still way early in the season and we are still trying to find our footing offensively. Either way I hope he takes care of whatever he needs to take care of and comes back because we do need him on this team!
Sometimes you just wish you acould say some positive words, like it is alright to make some mistakes and it's not the end of the world. These guys are so praised when they are in high school and then all of sudden everybody is as good as you, and now you have to work harder. I wish him well and hopefully the light bulb goes on and he returns to school.
Leaving to focus on music?
The next Montravious Pitts?
Update:
http://www.newsadvance.com/hokies-stanford-taking-leave-of-absence-from-...
Moorehead states that drops had nothing to do with it, and that it's coincidence. May explain why he dropped passes, mind not in the game.
That's what I was thinking, he didn't seem the type.
Take care of the things you need to Mr. Stanford. We'll be here when you get back.
Good luck, we're in your corner. there is help available if you need it. I know your coach can help you find the resources you need. That's the type of guys they are.
Man with Exum being in the pros and Stanford taking a leave of absence, who is gonna rep the Hokies over the mic?! On a serious note, hope he's okay. He is one of my favorites on the team, and he just seems like a genuinely nice guy with good morals. Really, really hope to see him on the field again sometime soon but football can wait if it's something to really be concerned about.