Virginia is bringing running back Solomon Beebe back onto the roster after two of the three animal cruelty charges filed against him in August were dropped Thursday in Albemarle County General District Court, the school said in a statement to The Daily Progress.
Beebe had been suspended indefinitely by UVA after his arrest in mid-August, when a housekeeper at his apartment complex reported seeing Beebe punch his pet bull, Jeb. Following Thursday’s legal proceedings in the Albemarle General District Court, he will be reinstated to full participation.
One charge is still pending, and Beebe will remain out until that process is finished, as long as he follows a judge’s orders.
“Following today’s legal proceedings in the Albemarle General District Court, Solomon Beebe will be reinstated to full participation,” UVA said in a statement. “He’s due to rejoin the Cavaliers and be active for their Oct. 1 homecoming contest against Syracuse. The Hoos play this Saturday at Florida State, but Beebe was already ruled out by the ACC’s availability report released on Wednesday night.”
Beebe’s status had been tied to the legal process since his arrest, and the school’s statement makes clear the football side is still waiting on the final charge to be resolved. If that third charge is dropped too, Beebe must take anger management classes, complete court-ordered mental health treatment and perform 100 hours of community service.
He was also ordered to relinquish Jeb to his father and not have any contact with Jeb for a year. In addition, Beebe cannot own a dog for the next five years.
On the field, Beebe was in line to be part of a rotation at running back and as a special teams option. Last year for the Blazers, his 45.6 yards per kick return ranked 15th-most in the FBS. He accounted for 1,000 all-purpose yards and was the lone player in the FBS to rush for at least six touchdowns and register at least 400 kick-return yards in 2024.
Before the arrest, he was slated to be the starting kick-return man and a contributor in the Cavaliers’ backfield. He showed immediately in August that he can run back a kick and be a really good one, too, coach Tony Elliott said after a practice. But that was before the legal issue paused Beebe’s progress.
Since his arrest, Beebe has remained on UVA’s roster and was seen on the field in street clothes during pregame warmups ahead of the Hoos’ win over Delaware this past Saturday. What he has to do now is try to find a way to reclaim the role that was once envisioned for him - a challenge, considering a deep group of running backs in UVA’s camp.
Middletown Tennee transfer Jekail Middleton is the starter, and fifth-year veteran Xavier Brown has a prominent responsibility, while Way Davis and Joah Raugh have been used regularly, too. All four running backs have three total touchdowns, with two rushing and one receiving, and Brown’s average of 5.6 yards per run leads the team.
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