Virginia Tech announced Monday that rising senior defensive tackle Jimmy Williams has been suspended indefinitely from the team for a violation of team policies.

A rumor surfaced on the TechSideline.com message boards Monday afternoon that Williams had been kicked off the team, and the clarifying statement that he had been suspended indefinitely came later from BeamerBall.com and hokiesports.com.

No details were given as to the reason for the suspension. Historically, under Frank Beamer, an indefinite suspension later results in dismissal from the team, and time will tell if Williams has the same fate.

Williams, a transfer from Pasadena City College, a junior college in California, has one year of eligibility remaining. If he is kicked off the team, he could transfer elsewhere to play his final year.

Williams arrived at Tech last fall and had to wait for weeks for his transcripts to clear. He struggled with conditioning and injuries and nearly quit the team early last fall. He eventually played in five regular-season games, totaling 104 plays from scrimmage and 18 tackles (6 solo). He missed the Diamond Walnut Bowl game against Air Force due to an ankle injury.

Williams was listed as the second-team nose tackle behind Tim Sandidge on BeamerBall.com's March 24th depth chart.

Recently, a reader who had not heard of Josh Spence quitting the football team due to problems with concussions emailed us and asked how the rising redshirt junior fullback was doing.

Upon finding out the news about Spence, the reader suggested that we recap scholarship players who are no longer on the team since the end of last season. Here's the run-down, to the best of our recollection:

QB Will Hunt:  Hunt quit the team a few weeks ago because he had "lost his desire to play." Hunt, a rising redshirt sophomore, was facing a third straight year of running the scout team, with the possibility of very little playing time behind Bryan Randall and Marcus Vick. Hunt, who loves Virginia Tech and is well-liked by his (former) teammates, is still enrolled at VT, and it's not known if he'll transfer.

FB Josh Spence: Spence has quit playing football on the advice of doctors, due to problems with concussions. A strength and conditioning machine, Spence had remolded his tailback's body into a fullback's build, but his career has been cut short.

OL Curtis Bradley: Bradley suffered a frightening ailment last summer when he became ill and collapsed following a voluntary workout on the Tech practice field July 25th. Flu-like symptoms turned out to be a condition that causes deterioration of the body's muscle tissue. Bradley recovered but later quit the team.

OL Anthony Nelson: Nelson, who would have been a redshirt-senior next season, quit the team nine games into the 2002 season to spend time with his ailing father.

DT Mark Costen: A former walk-on who resided at the top of the depth chart at defensive tackle last spring, Costen was awarded a scholarship prior to the 2002 season. He fell down the depth chart last season and is no longer on the team. He would have been a redshirt senior next year and was facing the prospect of little playing time in 2003.

LB Chris Buie: A rising redshirt senior, Buie will graduate this May and has decided to transfer elsewhere in an attempt to get playing time. Buie was buried at fourth-string Backer last season and would not have played much this fall.

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