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There is a member who owns substantial rental property around VT and generally takes all actions she can to force students off campus, enriching herself in the process...
Would have been nice to have this schedule this year, with a team that will likely be much better than the team we get next year lol
Also, don't pretend that Rocovich and a couple others on the BOV weren't doing things for their own personal benefit the last couple of years (without going into a CG violation, you can dig around yourself if you want to), which may actually be related to why this is happening.
Can you say more? The most damning thing I found after a bit of googling was that he is an active donor to his political party/PACs, but I don't really think that qualifies as using his position for personal benefit.
There's a lot that (1) I know but can't tell you and (2) that I don't know at all. Informed reasoning says that VT athletics will be fine, the governor does not hate the university, this is not necessarily naked politics (TBD on that) and that there are very specific reasons for this that I'm generally aware of but can't 100% confirm. I know everyone liked Mr. Rocovich for what he did for athletics, hiring Franklin, etc. but there was a lot of other stuff going on.
For my part, Mr. Rocovich was always very fair and professional with me, we had some good and frank discussions on things. But I understand there were concerns about some of his actions from many different entities. That's all I'm going to say.
I'm going to avoid the Political aspects of it as much as possible...other than to say this seems....odd.
The bigger picture I worry about is how all of this upheaval is going to affect Franklin.
He currently has no AD, no University President, and now someone who was presumed to be a significant ally on the BoV is *poof*.
I think any reasonable coach would be really questioning the foundation they are standing on at this point. He's already Recruiting well, if CJF puts together a solid year (maybe two) on the field, the grass might really start to look greener other places.
'_'
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept yes, on the face of it, appointing his replacement with someone who has enjoyed bi-partisan support historically, indicates to me that perhaps this wasn't actually politically motivated. But I'm sure I'll never know for sure
IDK it's a pretty niche subject and news just broke 2 hours ago... not sure what I'd expect to see.
Can anyone who's big mad right now tell me what the rector of the BOV actually does?
Not sure I'm 'big mad' but the Rector of Virginia Tech is the leader of the BoV. They are leader of the folks who decide:
- Who to hire/fire as president
- Finance Strategy
- Capital Improvements
Let's wait and see what combination of those things it was before everybody loses their minds.
I think you're right - I'm in wait and see mode - but also, if you're a VT football fan, I think there's a lot of cause for concern:
- Rokovich was a board member from 2002-04 - a time when VT was investing competitively with athletics. Seems like he knows what to do here.
- Rokovich was reportedly instrumental in hiring Franklin - In an era where it's not uncommon for a coach to job hop for a new job, this isn't great. I'm sure Franklin does not love the additional instability in a time where there is already a lot of natural turnover
It definitely appears that one of the biggest advocates for VT football was just removed from their post shortly after kicking off some big transitions. Might be nothing, might even be good, we can't know yet... but right now it sure doesn't look/feel like a good sign.
I think it is unlikely we will ever know the full story
Regardless, I think we can acknowledge that we are living in a moment of high political tension. Every single act made by any person in any kind of political position is going to be scrutinized, attacked, defended, etc. based on whichever side one falls. It's kind of a sad state of affairs, frankly. We turn every action into a heated political pissing contest. This firing may be politically motivated. OR, it may be completely apolitical and justified. The truth is, outside of maybe VTGuitarman, nobody here will ever know for sure but many will latch on strongly to whichever narrative makes them feel better, irrespective of truth or facts (granted, many of which very few of us have access to).
It doesn't really matter if this was politically motivated or not. People on here have "their" tribe and people have already made up their minds how they feel about this move without knowing any of the facts. Spanberger is either in your tribe or in your enemy's tribe. We're blind to the facts. If she's in your tribe, she can do no wrong. If she's in your enemy's tribe, she can do nothing right. And 'round and 'round we go.
I doubt he's cutting much so he should be very fresh.
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept Quick google says he's an Exec at Dominion Energy. Was electrical engineering grad from VT. Has been a BOV member in the past appointed by Northam and Youngkin
Rocovich had been the spearhead on increasing VT's sports budget and was a critical piece on the committee that hired Franklin. Those 2 big headlines had put him in a positive light within Hokie nation. This move comes as a surprise, we will have to wait until all the cards are laid out, what ethic was violated, were their warnings, is there going to be a lawsuit, etc
He was very vocal and visible as part of the Franklin hiring. The dudes over at Tech Sideline were juicing him up during the hiring process (I think he was even on their podcast?). Big athletics guy.
Upon further review it appears that this justification requires no further explanation and that's why it was used. The odds it was political in nature are still high.
The code Gov. Spanberger cited — § 23.1-1300. Members of governing boards; removal; terms; nonvoting, advisory representatives; residency — includes:"C. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection E or any other provision of law, the Governor may remove from office for...— David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) May 28, 2026
👃DAX'S BLOODY NOSE
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept That was fast!
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept She has appointed Ed Baine, a Virginia Tech alumnus and former Board of Visitors member to replace Rocovich. So, at least it's someone with ties to VT.
As someone who does not live in Virgina or follow the inner workings of the school, can someone tell me what made John Rocovich someone that people are upset to see being ousted? Was he a big proponent of cleaning house and bringing in Franklin? I'm assuming he was considered very good by the response to this, but I'm not up on things.
Really? We can't see the joke here?
This sub-thread was locked by a moderator.
Which is the next question we can toss out there...
Dale's Pale Ale was the sponsor the last World Cup. This go around it's Michelob Ultra.
What are you drinking for USMNT games? Something different for other games? Something different for each US game? Something other than beer?
🦃 LEG KING 🦃
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept Because this is a pure political move
And we know this because....
?
WHERE’S DAVE?
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept Because this is a pure political move, and therefore a political crony will be appointed rector and not necessarily someone who has ties to VT
🦃 LEG KING 🦃
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# | BoV to vote on June 1st regarding creation of Hokie Ventures LLC, a for profit arm within the Athletic Dept Well, the next Rector won't be laser focused on understanding why football is important to the Universities health.
And we know this because......
?
Because I didn't say "GRRRR SPANBERGER BAD"
Yep.
Something happened behind the scenes that is very not good for this to have happened, especially with the June 1st meeting coming up and the agenda that was a part of it.
If she wanted to hit VT politically, she would have done it right away.
One that I have heard from a very reliable source - there was a reason that VT BOV didn't approve building as many new dorms as were requested. Several of the members have commercial real estate interests in Blacksburg.