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Virginia Tech DE Dadi Nicolas suspended for first half vs. Virginia
Virginia Tech will be without defensive end Dadi Nicolas for the first half of the season finale against Virginia.
Hokies head coach Frank Beamer announced Monday that Nicolas is suspended for the first half due to an incident with an official during Saturday’s loss to North Carolina. Nicolas disagreed with a third quarter offsides call against him and made contact with head official Ron Cherry as Cherry announced the five-yard penalty.
The contact resulted in an additional 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Nicolas was allowed to stay in the game.
According to the Roanoke Times, Nicolas told reporters after the game that it was an accident.
“I didn’t mean to hit him. The center moved the ball, so I thought they were going to call it. They called it on me,” Nicolas said.
Beamer said that he discussed the incident with Nicolas, who told him the contact with Cherry was unintentional.
“I’m convinced in having talked with Dadi that it was not intentional, but he did hit the referee, hit his arm. And that can’t happen,” Beamer said per the Times.
Nicolas, a senior, has started all 11 games for the Hokies this season, totaling 38 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
The Hokies are 5-6 on the year and need a win over the Cavaliers on Saturday to clinch bowl eligibility in what will be Beamer’s final regular season game as VT’s head coach. The Hokies have played in a bowl in 22 consecutive seasons under Beamer, who announced his retirement earlier in the month.
For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
