Virginia Tech Reportedly Fined Football Players for Violations of Team Rules

Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock ended the football team's practice of fining players for violations of team rules such as missed meetings or meals, saying he had no idea the system was in place, via a report from Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

RTDSports shared an image of a television monitor outside the Hokies' players lounge outlining a fine structure and noting players who have already been penalized under the rules:

"Have addressed and will further," Babcock said, via Barber. "It has been discontinued 100 percent...I don't know of any past practice and I didn't know about this today either. Again, has been addressed and will be further. All of it discontinued immediately."

The news comes in the wake of defensive coordinator Bud Foster's controversial comments about potentially fining players some of their cost of attendance scholarship money as a disciplinary tactic, via Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports:

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We're going to look at that. Instead of, you know, some people got in trouble for getting up and punishing people at six in the morning. And obviously you need some discipline. I think that's one way that you can potentially do that, to control that a little bit. These guys now, they haven't had access to money unless they've been Pell Grant recipients. So they'll want that when it's all said and done at the end of the day.

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Foster also added that the coaches, "would consider doing additional things like reducing a player's game ticket allotment, and he also said Virginia Tech coaches have done similar things with player's bowl stipends in the past," according to Fornelli.

Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports commented on the speed of Babcock's response:

It is important to note that in any discussions surrounding financial punishments, it is against NCAA rules for coaches to reduce a player's financial aid, as Fornelli stated. Foster clearly didn't know that (or remember it when he was talking to reporters), which wasn’t a surprise to Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press:

Many coaches may not understand the cost of attendance scholarship rules like Russo claimed, but Foster probably will moving forward, after discussions with his athletic director following Wednesday's developments.