Williams Stadium Clear Bag Policy

CLEAR BAG POLICY In an effort to enhance fan safety and expedite entrance to Williams Stadium, Liberty University has implemented a security screening process. This includes a clear bag policy that limits the size and type of bag that can be brought into the stadium by fans. The implementation of this measure is intended to enhance public safety while minimizing time spent searching bags at gate security checkpoints, thus easing access into the stadium.

Liberty’s clear bag policy has been in effect since 2016 and will be strictly enforced during the 2020 football season. The policy is consistent with the NFL’s current model. Only clear tote bags that do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” or one-gallon plastic freezer bags will be allowed in Williams Stadium. In addition, small handheld clutch purses no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” will be permitted. Spectators will also be able to carry other items into the stadium, such as binoculars, cameras, and smartphones.

ACCEPTABLE BAGS

12”

6”

12” 6.5”

4.5”

VAN WAGNER AD

HEART OVER HEIGHT

JAVON SCRUGGS

I’ve never been the biggest guy on the football field.

I’m not the tallest or necessarily even the strongest or fastest player out there. No, I don’t have the freakish physical characteristics that jump off a sheet of paper.

But what I do have inside of me can’t be measured by a ruler.

It stems all the way back to my youth football days when I was the smallest kid in the group. My coach would always tell me:

“The game is about heart over height.”

Those words stuck with me.

A LESSON IN ADVERSITY I probably would have never been around to hear those words if my uncle didn’t play high school football.

I was around six years old at the time, and I would alternate weeks between going to the games to watch my uncle and hanging out with my friends at the local skating rink.

But eventually, there came a point when my interest in football started to peak where I was watching my uncle play on a weekly basis.

There was one game in particular that changed everything.

The quarterback for my uncle’s team was attempting to throw a game-winning touchdown in overtime.

I’ll never forget that moment.

Everyone in attendance was on pins and needles. There was a sort of electricity in the air that can’t really be put into words.

The quarterback’s throw came up two yards short in the end, but my mind was already made up to pursue football at the highest level after experiencing a moment like that.

A DREAM REALIZED That one moment pushed me to become the third person in my family to graduate from high school. It also paved the way to realizing a dream I had ever since I was a kid. I remember Coach Marshall (former assistant coach Marshall Roberts) calling me and asking if I wanted to play college football. It didn’t even take me a second to respond.

“Of course,” I said.

I’d waited my entire life for that moment. Life wasn’t always easy, and I didn’t grow up with much. But I never complained and always used the tools God gave me, along with the resources provided by my family.

I’ll never forget the response from my grandmother, for example, when I told her the news. She just started crying and thanking the Lord for helping keep my head on straight. I started to think maybe God really does work in mysterious ways.

My high school football coach, Doug Smith, actually played at Liberty when he was in college. So I basically spent my entire high school career preparing to play for the one school that ended up signing me.

A CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY Everything happens for a reason.

I was with the team last season when we became the third team in history to win a bowl game in our first year of eligibility. I was also with them on Saturday against Syracuse when we beat our first ACC opponent in program history.

I just want to be remembered as the guy that helped everyone around him get better. When things go wrong, I want my guys to trust me the same way they do when things go right. I want to always be that sort of player for my teammates.

No, I was never the biggest guy on the field. I wasn’t blessed with the physical attributes that stand out on paper. But I’ll always believe, deep down, that I’m bigger than my body.

I’ll always believe I have the heart to move mountains.