By Cliff Roberts Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
News of Matt Schaub's assault charge this weekend traveled as fast as one of the University alumnus and Atlanta Falcons quarterback's touchdown passes. Some students questioned the validity of the accusation; others, Schaub's character.
The 19-year-old male accuser claimed he was assaulted by three males outside the Wing Factory around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, according to a statement from the Charlottesville police. Schaub was the only arrest made, however, as the other two suspects could not be found.
Despite the arrest, some students remain skeptical about the accusation.
"I can't believe that he did it ... until more facts come out, and I have to assume he's innocent until proven guilty," fourth-year College student Evan McMahan said.
Some students felt that while the accusation may be valid, there could be other reasons behind the assault.
"At first I thought it was really funny because he comes back as a pseudo-superstar NFL player and ends up getting in trouble," third-year Commerce student Megan Fanale said. "But I definitely think people probably picked a fight with him because he's so well known. I don't know the whole story, though."
Third-year College student Demetri Tavoulareas also claimed Schaub's assault charge sounds worse than the real situation might have been.
"I guess [how he acted] depends on the group he was with, or if he was drunk, because sometimes there is a group mentality that can cause someone who normally doesn't fight to instigate one," Tavoulareas said. "The only fight I've ever been in was to help out a friend."
Other students were not so sympathetic toward Schaub.
"I'm surprised and disappointed that someone to whom I used to look up to would be setting a bad example for the U.Va. community," third-year Commerce student Tipton Horn said.
McMahan also qualified his statement by adding that there may be more to Schaub than most of his fans know.
"I wouldn't be too surprised if he was guilty, because although we still paint athletes as role models, sometimes their private lives aren't as perfect as we think they are," McMahan said.
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