Virginia
WATCH: Heckler thrown out of Rich Rodriguez introductory press conference at West Virginia
A heckler tried to steal the show during Rich Rodriguez’s introductory press conference on Friday, as he made his triumphant return to West Virginia.
As the spectator began to shout at Rodriguez as he took the podium, fans in attendance booed and clamored for the unruly guest to be tossed. Police quickly got involved and escorted the heckler out, to a chorus of cheers from the massive group of Mountaineers faithful. Check out the video below of the incident, shared to X by Inside The Dome.
After the spectator was removed, Rodriguez had the perfect response to make light of the situation: “Okay, any other Pitt fans can leave the building,” he proclaimed, as the crowd went wild.
It was certainly an electric start to the highly-anticipated press conference. It’s not the first time West Virginia fans have heard Rodriguez speak, as he joined them via satellite during a live rendition of The Pat McAfee Show, but the energy in the building is on another level regardless.
To add some more juice for a couple of West Virginia’s rivals, Rodriguez also called out both Pitt and Marshall during his aforementioned appearance on McAfee’s show, firing a couple jabs before his introduction got underway.
Earlier in his interview, Rodriguez pointed out two characteristics he doesn’t want in players. He’s not looking for “soft” or “lazy” – but he later remembered one more four-letter word he forgot: “I probably misspoke a little bit earlier when I said the two worst four-letter words were soft and lazy,” Rodriguez said. “I left out Pitt.”
Then, McAfee’s co-host Boston Connor asked if the game between West Virginia and Marshall could return given the Thundering Herd’s recent hire of Tony Gibson, who worked for Rodriguez at WVU, Michigan and Arizona.
Although Rodriguez acknowledged his relationship with Gibson, he also summed up his thoughts on Marshall perfectly. It’s safe to say, he’s not worrying about the Thundering Herd.
“Gibby is a great friend of mine,” Rodriguez said. “Was a great staff member, and we’re still very dear friends. [If] you think I have spent one second thinking about Marshall, you’re wrong.”
Alas, Rich Rodriguez is hitting all the right beats during his big day in Morgantown on Friday. Time will tell if it translates to wins on the football field, but the confidence in palpable for the Mountaineers at the moment.
On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.
A skydiver crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring football game Saturday.
Virginia Tech officials said on X that the skydiver “was safely secured and is currently stable” following rescue efforts. The incident caused a delay in the start of the spring game.
“Thankful for game days with Hokie Nation and for the Blacksburg and Virginia Tech first responders whose quick actions safely returned today’s parachuter to the ground without injury,” the university said.
The name of the skydiver wasn’t released.
“Our primary focus remains on their well-being,” Virginia Tech officials said in a statement. “We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”
Video footage showed the skydiver’s parachute landing between the “C” and the “H” on the Virginia Tech lettering on top of the scoreboard before first responders rescued him.
CBS News has reached out to the Blacksburg Fire Department for details on the incident.
A much cleaner performance carried Clemson baseball on Friday, as it answered the previous night’s loss with a 5-1 win over No. 9 Virginia.
Michael Sharman set the tone from the start. He kept Virginia off balance all night, working eight innings while giving up just a single run. There weren’t many free passes, and he consistently pitched ahead, which allowed him to stay in control deep into the game. Hayden Simmerson wrapped things up in the ninth without any trouble.
At the plate, Nate Savoie was the difference. He delivered two home runs, including a go-ahead shot later in the game that put Clemson in front for good. His first long ball gave the Tigers an early edge, and he finished with three RBIs on the night.
Virginia managed to pull even midway through, but Clemson quickly responded. The offense strung together quality at-bats, with Bryce Clavon driving in a run and Luke Gaffney continuing his strong weekend with multiple hits. The Tigers created more separation late, adding another run after working a bases-loaded situation.
Clemson moves to 25-15 overall and 6-11 in conference play with the win. The series now comes down to Saturday’s matchup in Charlottesville.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A car crashed into the patio at Murphy’s Irish Pub on the Oceanfront on Friday night.
Virginia Beach medics arrived at the scene around 7:54 p.m. at Murphy’s Irish Pub and found several victims, according to police. All were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to very severe.
Medics are still on the scene, according to News 3’s team onsite.
This is an active scene and an ongoing investigation; News 3’s team will continue providing updates.
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