Another day, another development in the bizarre scandal dubbed WakeyLeaks.
In a press release, Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock acknowledged that a former assistant on then-head coach Frank Beamer’s staff was “provided... gameplan information prior to our game in 2014" by former Wake Forest staffer Tommy Elrod. Babcock writes that "[w]e have no indication at this time that any of this information was shared with any other staff members, nor utilized during the game.”
The name of the former Tech assistant on the receiving end of the info wasn’t divulged.
Beamer and current defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who held the same position for the 2014 Wake-Tech game, have publicly denied knowledge of any Hokies assistant receiving information from Elrod since the scandal exploded.
That 2014 game, incidentally, infamously ended in a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation, with Wake winning 6-3 in double overtime.Statement from Director of Athletics Whit Babcock pic.twitter.com/4OK6iT8YS6
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) December 15, 2016
Statement from former Head Coach Frank Beamer pic.twitter.com/VUhsaCeF9x
— VT Football (@VT_Football) December 15, 2016
Tuesday evening, Wake Forest announced that an internal investigation had revealed that Elrod, a radio announcer for Demon Deacon football games, had, starting in 2014, provided and passed along proprietary and confidential information to Wake opponents. Elrod had played for Wake and then was associated with the football program for the 11 seasons but wasn’t retained by head coach Dave Clawson in 2014, moving on to the IMG radio network and the broadcast of his alma mater’s football games.
A month ago, it was reported that Wake was investigating how documents pertaining to its gameplan for the Louisville wound up at Papa John’s Stadium, discovered by a member of Wake’s traveling party prior to the game. In his own bizarre statement Wednesday, U of L athletic director Tom Jurich acknowledged that his program’s offensive coordinator, Lonnie Galloway, had received illicit intel from Elrod prior to the game but dismissed the notion that anything untoward had occurred.
The ACC has since confirmed it is investigating the situation.
