As the Virginia football team kicks off spring practice, coach George Welsh said he anticipates junior tailback Antwoine Womack will return for the fall season.
Womack, who will be sentenced tomorrow in Albemarle Country General District Court on a misdemeanor assault and battery charge, was arrested 13 months ago after an incident in which former University students Jonathan Dean and Cabral Thornton were assaulted.
University Judiciary Committee charges against Womack were dropped prior to his trial, originally scheduled for Feb. 5.
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"I see no reason why he can't play in the fall," Welsh said. "I'm expecting him back this summer at the latest, regardless of the outcome" of tomorrow's sentencing.
He said he is "at least a week away" from deciding whether Womack will take part in spring practice, which began yesterday. The 1998 All-ACC second team selection has been on a leave of absence from the team since April and therefore has not participated in the Cavalier offseason program.
"I'd like to have him for spring practice," Welsh said. "But we have to look at a lot of different things, including his academics, to see if it's worth it for him to come out there right now."
Former basketball player Chezley Watson also will play for Welsh in the fall. The 1998-99 starting shooting guard, who left Pete Gillen's squad in January after averaging only four minutes a game, will get a shot as a defensive back in the depleted Virginia secondary.
"We're going to start him out at corner and see if he can play there," Welsh said. "He's got good size and he runs pretty well. We're just going to wait and see."
The 6-foot-2 Watson, who has two years of football eligibility left, was one of the ACC's strongest guards at 207 pounds. Welsh said he likes Watson's quickness but needs to see if the junior can adjust to the gridiron.
Ahmad Hawkins also will get a look in the Virginia secondary this spring. The 5-10 junior saw significant time at wide receiver in his first two seasons in Charlottesville but agreed to shift to cornerback after the Cavaliers lost four defensive backs in the offseason.
"He's a good enough athlete and he's fast enough to play corner," Welsh said. "He helps us there a lot more than at wideout"
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