UVA Football Players Arrested for Stealing Beer from Gay Bar

It's kind of ironic that not too long ago I posted about my visit to Club 216 in Chralottesville since the club is in the news as a result of the arrest of two members of the University of Virginia football team, including starter, Will Barker, who were arrested for stealing beer from coolers at the club which is owned by the Piedmont Triangle Society. Obviously, these guy lend credence to the image of football players not being tooo bright. But for where they were arrested, I suspect the story would have received less coverage.

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In addition to Charlottesville's Daily Progress the story is making its way around the Internet, including WVIR TV-29 in Charlottesville and Sporting News among other sites. While it is true that Club 216 is Charlottesville's only after hours club, it is also true that its no secret among locals and the university student crowd that the bar is a gay nightclub. Thus, anyone going to the club would know they were going to a gay club which gets a fairly diverse group of patrons. During my own visit, it was really quite interesting to see just how varied the patrons were. Here's some highlights from Sporting News:

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The Virginia Cavaliers, fresh off another invigorating season of excitement-tastic Al Groh football (Groh-mentum! Catch it now!), are taking that irresistible charm and charisma into the offseason in new and ever more fabulous ways. Any old football program would get someone arrested for public intoxication and having a fake ID, but a team charged with the zeal only Al Groh can give a team does things a little bit differently, if you know what I mean. And I when I say differently, I mean "caught stealing beer from a gay club."

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Places like Club 216 often do a thriving business as after-hours bars, which likely explains why football players--not known for being models of forward-thinking tolerance of all lifestyles--would be there. They had beer, and they were open. That said, we bet the regular patrons of Club 216 thought the beer theft was a minor offense compared the real crime here: Will Barker's hair in the mug shot.