Ike Whitaker’s Revival: From A Bag of Alcohol to NFL Draft Hopes

Brandon Crawford’s NFL dreams are inspirational because he’s taken the long road to this point. But for sheer degree of difficulty, former Virginia Tech wideout Ike Whitaker has Crawford licked.

Whitaker was a celebrated high school recruit who never panned out in Blacksburg, his alcohol abuse so racking that he already saw one shot of redemption go down the drain. And according to what he told Beamerball, Whitaker was ready to end it all when he went to see a Virginia Tech coach last fall.

⇥I remember that I was ready to end my life. I was a burden to myself and everyone around me. I just felt dark inside. I knew I had to stop drinking, but I couldn’t. So, I decided to just end it. That’s how tough this addiction is. That’s how depressed and sick the alcohol can make you.⇥⇥I wanted to go and see Coach (John) Ballein one last time because he had been good to me through my toughest times. He never beat around the bush, he was honest with me and hard on me, but I knew he was hard on me because he cared about me and wanted to see me get my life straight. I remember that I had a bag of alcohol, I had been drinking all night and all morning, and that I was in his office. I don’t know exactly what I said to him, but I’m sure it was something to let him know that I was saying goodbye and that I appreciated everything that he ever did for me and that I’m very sorry that I let him and Coach Beamer down.⇥

⇥⇥Well, I never made it out of his office. He told me that I wasn’t going anywhere and that I certainly wasn’t going to hurt myself. He took the bag of alcohol out of my hands and told me that I was coming with him and that we were going to get some help. I thank God for Coach Ballein. He’s truly an angel on earth. Coach Beamer and Coach Ballein gave me chances and I blew every one of them. That’s totally my fault. I’m ashamed that I treated those two good men the way I did. I’m ashamed that I lied to them. I’ll always regret that and I’ve told them that I’m very sorry.⇥

⇥⇥...⇥

⇥⇥I’ve never been this sober for this long. I’m in a positive place in my life right now and I want to stay there.⇥

Whitaker has known what it’s like to fall; now, he has learned how to claw back up to solid ground. He’s sobered up, dedicated himself to football, and hopes he can use his physical skills -- he’s an imposing quarterback prospect at 6’5”, 230 pounds -- to make a living. He knows that the NFL probably won’t bite on a player who hasn’t played a down since September 2008, but he’ll participate in Virginia Tech’s pro day on March 18, and says, “If I can impress a scout, any scout, I’m talking indoor football, the Canadian league, the UFL ... if it can open some doors for me, continue to help get my life back on track, then it will be well worth it.”

And if it doesn’t attract the scouts, Whitaker still realizes that his comeback isn’t only his.

⇥And, if nothing comes of it, if I don’t get any calls from the football people, then I’ll still get to show the people at Virginia Tech who have helped me and cared about me that I’m in the process of healing. That’s very important to me. Those people at Virginia Tech have never seen me this strong, they’ve never seen me run this fast, they’ve never seen me throw the football like this, they’ve never seen my head this clear and I want them to know that I’m more than just an alcoholic. I want them to know that I’m not a lost cause. I didn’t fall off the face of the earth.If Whitaker can really make it all the way back to football, his story is that much sweeter. But that almost seems like a footnote. Making it back to sobriety is Whitaker’s real triumph.(HTs: EDSBS and Dr. Saturday.)

↵