CRIME: GEORGIA TECH

Georgia Tech cornerback Jerrard Tarrant has been charged with rape and has been suspended from the football team.

The alleged victim said she was raped at an on-campus dormitory April 25 and reported the incident to police that morning, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday.

Charles Lea, an attorney representing Tarrant, said his client is innocent of the charges.

Tarrant, 19, was released Saturday on $40,000 bail, the newspaper reported. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound redshirt freshman from Carrollton, Ga., was considered a potential starter at cornerback.

Tarrant has been suspended indefinitely from the Tech football team pending the outcome of the case, Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson said in a statement.

"These charges filed against Jerrard are something that we take very seriously. He has been suspended from the team indefinitely, pending the outcome of the legal proceedings," Johnson said.

OUCH: VIRGINIA TECH

Brandon Dillard, a redshirt junior wide receiver expected to contend for significant playing time for Virginia Tech this season, will instead miss the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in player-organized offseason workouts.

The school said Wednesday that Dillard was hurt Tuesday night.

Hokies head trainer Mike Goforth said the Martinsville native will have surgery next week at Montgomery Regional Hospital, with four to six months of rehabilitation to follow.

One of the fastest players in school history, Dillard was expected to help the Hokies alleviate the loss of their top four receivers to graduation after last season.

He gave a glimpse of his potential in the team's Maroon and White spring game with a 49-yard run on a reverse and a 25-yard touchdown reception.

UH-OH, WE’RE DOOMED…

Feeling all patriotic on the 4th of July with the Olympics coming up…?

Not so fast, says AOL Fanhouse’s Sports Assassin:

"One of the biggest complaints about the announcement of USA Basketball's 12-man roster is the lack of big men. We are sending just one true center (Dwight Howard) along with two true power forwards (Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer).

There are quite a bit of guys that excel at slashing to the basket (Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony) ... who also need the ball in their hands a lot. We also will send a gutty, defensive point guard in Jason Kidd.

Hmmm. This sounds an awful like how Mike Krzyzewski ... coach of Team USA ... constructs his usual team: the Duke Blue Devils.Anyone who has followed Duke knows that they team has really had issues with depth and talent in the frontcourt in recent years ... while running a bunch of same-sized players on the perimeter. It works alright for a while, but them crumbles as the season wears on.

It could happen in Beijing as the group that Team USA will be in is rather weak, but they will see the big dogs in single-elimination play."

PICTURE OF THE DAY

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, EVERYBODY!