EX-HOKIE PLEADS GUILTY IN DRUG CASE, SAYS HIS LIFE IS BACK ON TRACK

Manny Clemente will be sentenced on drug charges this spring, days after
he is due to graduate from Virginia Tech.

CHRISTIANSBURG - A former Hokie football player pleaded guilty to
cocaine charges Monday and told the judge he had turned his life around
in the wake of his arrest.

Manny Clemente, 23, of Blacksburg pleaded guilty in Montgomery County
Circuit Court to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of
distribution of cocaine through a plea agreement reached with
prosecutors. Another two counts of conspiracy and five counts of
distribution of cocaine were dropped through the agreement.

Clemente has returned to classes at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate
in May. His sentencing is set for May 21, eight days after graduation.
Each charge carries a maximum 40 years in prison, but through the plea
agreement Clemente will be screened to see if he can enter a diversion
or detention program instead of prison.

"Since the indictments, I have changed my life around," Clemente told
Circuit Judge Bobby Turk. "I just thank God I had a chance to make a lot
of my wrongdoings a little more right."

Defense attorney Bill Cleaveland said he is encouraged by Clemente's
progress in the past year, including getting off drugs, returning to
school, finding a full-time job and getting back into shape.

"Every hope that we had for him before has been met," Cleaveland said.

A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Clemente Jan. 14, 2000, after
months of investigation by the New River Regional Drug Task Force.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Schwab said Clemente spoke with
an informant on June 21, 1999, and agreed to sell cocaine.

That day he delivered five $20 rocks of crack cocaine to the informant,
Schwab said. Two more sales were later engineered on June 25, 1999, and
on Dec. 6, 1999. The informant netted 2.31 grams of cocaine through the
three purchases.

Cleaveland said the other charges were dropped because "each buy was
relatively small and they could never establish that he was a major
dealer."

Clemente was recruited to play football for Tech in 1995. He left the
team before the 1998 season.