FSU's 2 National Championship Trophies Recovered

[Guest LeVeL]

Fucking Bastard...I am glad these trophies have been returned since those teams worked so hard for them.

Go Noles, next year we will win another Championship.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A staff attorney for the state's utility regulator was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of possessing stolen property for his role in the theft of two Florida State University national football championship trophies.

Jason P. Rojas, 28, was booked Thursday at the Leon County Jail after returning the second crystal football to authorities Wednesday night, school investigators said. He had kept it at his home wrapped in a white plastic garbage bag. (Related audio: Wetherell: You can't just put these on eBay)

Rojas, who is employed by the Public Service Commission, was placed on indefinite administrative leave by the agency Thursday. He will, however, continue to be paid, commission spokesman Kevin Bloom said.

Rojas is the son of former state Rep. Luis Rojas, who served in the House of Representatives during the period Florida State President T.K. Wetherell served as speaker.

A self-described 25-year-old boat captain from Fort Walton Beach, John Piowaty, was charged Wednesday with felony burglary and grand theft.

Both men are graduates of the University of Florida and neither have any previous criminal record, Florida State police said. Both cooperated fully in case of the crystals swiped from a locked case, investigators said Thursday.

"They've had a lot of time to think about it," Sgt. Chris Lee said. "That it went too far."

Wetherell said he was open to working with authorities on possibly reducing the charges if the defendants continued to cooperate and were willing to make restitution to the university for two replacement trophies that cost $15,000 plus investigation expenses.

In a sworn statement, Rojas said he received one of the trophies from Piowaty the night it was stolen — at about 2:49 a.m., June 20, 2004.

The Waterford Crystal trophies, awarded at the time by Sears in recognition of the 1993 and 1999 national championships based on the final coaches poll, were removed from a locked wooden-and-glass case outside coach Bobby Bowden's office during renovation.

"I always felt like we would (see them back) because what are you going to do with them?" Bowden said after both were recovered.

"It's about your heritage. You don't give up when it's lost," Wetherell said.

The first recovered trophy was retrieved from a commercial storage facility in Fort Walton Beach where it was in a brown, cardboard box, protected with wadded-up newspaper, assistant Florida State police chief Tom Longo said.

Wetherell said the school was prepared to pay the $2,500 reward it offered for the tip leading to the recovery.

The 1993 team led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Charlie Ward finished 12-1, beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on a last minute field goal by Scott Bentley. The 1999 team went 12-0 behind the school's second Heisman winner, quarterback Chris Weinke, defeating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl for its second national title.

[Guest JMT]

if thats not motivation for next week in the swamp i dont know what is...

[Guest LeVeL]

Dude I cant believe FSU has lost like they have been losing these past weeks. Weatherford has just lost total confidence in himself, the offense is non-existent. The defense is not tackling right.

Do you think Bowden is losing his touch? Thos ekids are not motivated out there.. :-\.

Its very saddening to see us lose to teams that get killed the week after they beat us by a no rank team. Is the rest of the ACC finally catching up with FSU. So many questions man but to choke this late in the season is detrimental, Hurricanes are good but we should be better then them.

[ryan2772]

that guy went to my high school