07/29/2008
UVA Football Players Arrested for Stealing Beer from Gay Bar
University of Virginia Cavaliers football players Will Barker and Dave Roberts were arrested for stealing beer from a cooler at Charlottesville gay bar Club 216:
"Police say both men admitted to stealing beer from a cooler at the nightclub. Both face larceny charges. Roberts, who is 19 years old, is also charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol and with using a fake ID. Barker is expected to be a starter on the offensive line after being named a second-team freshman All-American by the Sporting News in 2006. He's one of two returning starting offensive lineman on Virginia's team this year. UVA football head coach Al Groh has declined to comment on this story. UVA Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said they are working on addressing the arrests and academic problems across all athletic teams, not just the football team."
Sporting News surmises that the players were there because the business operates as an after-hours club "which likely explains why football players--not known for being models of forward-thinking tolerance of all lifestyles--would be there. They had beer, and they were open."
(via deadspin)
Posted 10:28 AM EST by Andy Towle in Crime, Football (American), Gay Bar, News, Sports, Virginia | Permalink
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Gosh, I'm not sure how I feel about this.
I kind of hope these guys aren't gay. It'd be
oddly heartwarming if they went to a gay bar to get beer instead of going there to beat the shit out of someone or harass people.
I suppose it'll be a better world when jocks don't care who's gay and who isn't as long as they can drink, steal your beer, and puke on your lawn.
Posted by: Yeek | Jul 29, 2008 10:37:04 AM
How dumb of them to get caught.
Posted by: SJ | Jul 29, 2008 10:42:17 AM
lifestyles?
Posted by: John in Manhattan | Jul 29, 2008 10:44:47 AM
I know these guys are football players, but is there some kind of requirement to have your neck be at least a third wider than your head?
Posted by: Wes | Jul 29, 2008 10:51:06 AM
ooooooooo honey i just get all shuddery all over when i contemplate these two big hulking and ohsobutch bruisers now you know all they wanted was some beer and hopefully get their dicks sucked i mean who wouldn't i would have serviced these two beauties in a flash possibly some hot t-room action but the mind MY MIND!!! just boggles at the thought.... oh baby!
Posted by: the queen | Jul 29, 2008 10:52:59 AM
I'll bet they were looking for "Recycled Beer."
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Jul 29, 2008 10:59:06 AM
It's Virginia. It won't matter why they were there... They will be mercilessly harassed and probably suffer as members of the team. The fact that they are thieves won't get half the attention as the fact that they were in a gay bar.
Posted by: MikeinSanJose | Jul 29, 2008 10:59:26 AM
Their fathers will be SO proud!!
Posted by: MikeinSanJose | Jul 29, 2008 11:00:57 AM
Well, at least Barker tried to have a "faux-hawk" to try to blend in....
Posted by: stan | Jul 29, 2008 11:02:48 AM
i live in Charlottesville...this IS the only bar that stays open and serves alcohol until 5am...it's also our only gay club but since it's the only establishment open that late (or early) a lot of straight people go there too...actually on most nights it's more straight than gay...it pretty much blows and most self respecting gay men don't even go there...oh i guess the point of this was to say that the straight guys that go there aren't gay bashers or homophobes just guys looking to continue drinking and of course some who are looking to get their dicks sucked ;-)
Posted by: will | Jul 29, 2008 11:11:23 AM
Club 216 is the ONLY 'after hours' club in the city? Maybe, but I doubt it. Any Charlottesville peeps out there?
Posted by: Otto | Jul 29, 2008 11:21:05 AM
Football players stole beer. This is news?
Posted by: Rodolfo | Jul 29, 2008 11:23:25 AM
@MikeinSanJose:
But it's Charlottesville, probably one of the most liberal cities in the country (and probably at least 70% of our football team comes from out of state so they might not even be from VA).
Also, it's pretty much the only club in the city - it's frequented by all kinds of people although there is a sign on the front door that mentions all patrons are expected to be respectful to all sexualities etc
Posted by: thegunner | Jul 29, 2008 11:29:16 AM
too bad - UVA has an honor code which has a single possible punishment - expulsion. I bet these two get bounced from school.
Posted by: dwight | Jul 29, 2008 11:31:32 AM
@Otto:
It is the only one.
Posted by: thegunner | Jul 29, 2008 11:31:52 AM
Wonder Twin Powers Activate!
Form of scum!
Shape of a douche bag!
Posted by: Shaun Industry | Jul 29, 2008 11:33:48 AM
I went to UVa. It's funny to know that things still shut down at 2am. As for the beer story, I don't think this means anything. The teachers at UVa are conservatives, not the student body. At least, that was the the case when I went there. I am not sure of the UVa honor system applies to this. It's no lying, cheating or stealing but whether it applies to non university activity I can't remember. Oh- and wow- people are still big drinkers there apparently- they used to say that a UVa student was someone who could drink twice his weight in beer. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Posted by: Craig | Jul 29, 2008 11:44:13 AM
Shameless self-promotion for people from Charlottesville: this week is the last week of a fantastic production of FOREVER PLAID at Heritage Theater Festival, and you should all come see it. :) (Especially if you're young and cute)
Posted by: Gander | Jul 29, 2008 11:51:09 AM
@Craig
This has brought memories back to me as well. Oh the good times at UVA and Clemson. Drunk horny football players. Got me through school.
Posted by: Otto | Jul 29, 2008 12:18:04 PM
Any gay club with half a brain would have a "free beer for well-behaved varsity athletes" policy. Talk about a way to bring in some beefcake. Albeit neanderthalesque beefcake, but sometimes that's kinda hot.
This seems like a pretty victimless crime to me. How much beer were they trying to steal?
Posted by: Yeek | Jul 29, 2008 12:18:13 PM
This is a hate crime-call the HRC. Of course the HRC will charge $200.00 a person, and have Lance Bass speak about how horrible it is to target football players with big necks stealing beer. Then we go to Kathy Griffin making fun of us right in front us. Perfect day. Scene.
Posted by: OTTO | Jul 29, 2008 12:24:28 PM
As crimes go, this is not national news. At first I thought this was being posted as some sort of vandalism against a gay bar and that they went there explicitly to steal beer (as some sort of prank maybe). Now I see there is speculation about their orientation. It all seems pretty silly.
Posted by: anon | Jul 29, 2008 12:24:46 PM
2 UVA football players is not unusual as this is pretty much the only place to go.
But as an avid Towleroad reader it's nice to have your hometown make the gay news!
Yes, it's true 216 is the only after hours bar in town. After 2am its pretty much where those who want to stay out, or those that want to dance go to. Usually you'll find a bunch of sketchy looking straight guys watching drunk girls dancing on the dance floor. It's pretty shady really, but if you have a good group of friends straight, bi, gay, whatever the mix it's a good time if you ignore the shadiness. You often find more straight people hooking up than those of alternative lifestyles. And there's usually a drag queen around eating pretzels if you're hungry!
As for Cville being liberal...
Cville is liberal minded, but when it comes down to it pretty conservative, especially fiscally. Lots of old and new money here. It's also not super gay-friendly. It accepts gays but doesn't want there to be a gay-problem. It also sucks if you're educated, in your twenties, and good looking to find anyone remotely dateable. Haha.
Posted by: Cville Local | Jul 29, 2008 12:39:35 PM
Hmmm... the rules of the club say that you can only get in if you're a member or come in with a member (it still would cost $13). I wonder which way they got in?
When I was there in the mid-80s there was a gay bar near that location. No membership required!
Posted by: Kevinvt | Jul 29, 2008 1:17:08 PM
They both look like they're about 30.
Posted by: Chad | Jul 29, 2008 1:26:09 PM