Radio host apologizes for question to Richt
Sports radio talk show host Chuck Oliver said Monday he was guilty of “horrible timing” in asking UGA Coach Mark Richt a question about losing big games after Saturday night’s SEC Championship Game.
Oliver, part of the “Chuck and Chernoff Show” on 680 the Fan, said he used “awful, terrible, wretched, horrid judgment” in posing such a question after Georgia’s emotional 32-28 loss to Alabama, a game many are calling the greatest SEC championship game ever.
In the exchange at a post-game press conference, Oliver asked Richt: “There are some people, whether its fans, media or whomever else, that may want to make further conclusions about you or your quarterback specifically in big games. Would you have any response to those people?”
Richt: “I don’t know what you’re saying. Why don’t you just say it straight up what you’re trying to say.”
Oliver: “There will be people who say that you and Aaron Murray specifically come up short on the biggest stage against the biggest opponents. Do you have any response to that?”
Richt bluntly asked if it was Oliver who was saying that, and Oliver responded that’s what he hears on the radio every day. Richt then says, “That’s for you to worry about then — if that’s what you say then I’ll answer the question; if you think other people are saying that, I’m not worried about that.”
After leaving the press conference, Richt returned briefly and said, “If anybody thinks our guys didn’t play their tail off, and Aaron Murray didn’t play his tail off, they’re crazy. That’s unbelievable that anybody would even bring that up.”
Oliver said his first reaction after the exchange was, “I really wish I could undo the last 90 seconds of my life.”
Was Oliver out of line in asking the question when he did or did Richt overreact to a legitimate question?
View the Oliver-Richt confrontation.
Listen to Oliver’s explanation.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
587 comments Add your comment
Fleischman in Chi Towns Bed
December 4th, 2012
9:24 am
http://capitalonebowl.floridacitrussports.com/
GO DAWGS!
splendid splinter
December 4th, 2012
9:25 am
No, the question was not out of line. It is THE question that has been on everyone’s lips for over two years now. Did Richt have good reason to take exception to it? Absolutely! Any head coach is going to stand behind his players and ass’t coaches and defend them. But it is a question many in the bulldog nation have been asking for a long time. If Richt can’t take the heat he needs to stay out of the kitchen.
Frank the Tank
December 4th, 2012
9:30 am
Well at least the UGA fans aren’t sore losers
BehindEnemyLines
December 4th, 2012
9:32 am
Oliver’s mistake was losing his nerve & apologizing. The question was spot on.
WaaaaaaWaaaaa
December 4th, 2012
9:34 am
Richt was in the wrong here. He could have handled it much differently, but obviously let his emotions get to him at the wrong time. It was an innocent questions that, if you listen to sports talk radio, are asked on a routine basis. Richt should be appologizing, not Chuck Oliver. Richt knows the truth hurts and did not want to anwser it at that time. He could have said that he was there to speak about this game and he would address that question at a later time, but instead he went about taking his anger and frustration out on a man asking a question which has been asked by hundred’s of others to him!
Lost a little respect for Richt on this one!
Fat Matt Wilson
December 4th, 2012
9:35 am
Glad someone had the balls to ask him, been hearing it for years.
UGA91
December 4th, 2012
9:35 am
@78Dawg….reallly? what does Auburn have to do with this? Oliver asked a question that many have been saying for a while now. I don’t even think the timing was bad, when is he supposed to ask the question. CMR should stay away from post game pressers then if he can’t handle the truth.
Dawg Tired
December 4th, 2012
9:35 am
Aaron and the Dawgs did fight hard, but partly because of having to make up for stupid mistakes…penalties allowing Bama to sustain scoring drives. I firmly believe that Georgia has a better team than Bama, but they gave this game away.
Dwight Garland
December 4th, 2012
9:35 am
The man is making 4 million a year to win big ball games. He is 1-9 against top 10 ranked teams since 2008 and little better against top 25 ranked teams. That’s batting .100 your bulldog homers. Georgia is always one of the most penalized teams. That’s because of a lack of disipline. That comes down to the head coach. Nobody was questioning that they played their heart out – that’s expected. What was being questioned was do you have an answers for WHY you keep coming up short against teams you should at least be beating, say 50% of the time.
Mark Fan
December 4th, 2012
9:36 am
You CAN NOT win against the UMPS.. they “overlooked” calls that should have been made.. EX.. the “HIT” to Murray!
Dawg Tired
December 4th, 2012
9:40 am
As for Aaron Murray himself, despite all of his talents and accomplishments, which he has many respectable ones, he can’t win in the clutch. When the game is on the line, and the ball is in his hands, he comes up short every time. Five yards short this time. Time for a change under center…let Aaron go pro.
beanster
December 4th, 2012
9:40 am
It is only because Richt is so cool headed that this is even a story. How many coaches spout off (saying things they often regret) after a big game? Thankfully CMR is no Spurrier, Miles, John L Smith, Mike Gundy, Paul Johnson, etc. who consistently put their foot in their mouths.
Paul From Milton
December 4th, 2012
9:43 am
I hate those “there are people who say” questions because it gives the questioner something to hide behind if he gets push back, which is exactly what happened. Also, I thought the timing of asking the question was bad.
Having said that, the central theme of the question was certainly legitimate and Richt’s response, while understandable given his emotional nature at the time, was out of line.
RGB
December 4th, 2012
9:45 am
And another thing: when you attribute losing a game to:
1. the officials,
2. “we just ran out of time”;
3. “it could have gone either way” (it never does);
4. “if only the ball hadn’t been tipped”;
5 .”if only he’d batted it down”;
6. “if we just had one more time-out”;
those are what the late, great Zig Ziglar would call a “loser’s limp”. So stop it.
Reality
December 4th, 2012
9:49 am
Not everybody wins the big game; somebody has to lose.
The sainted Vince Dooley lost his fair share. His lone National Championship in 25 years of coaching was accompllished by a phenon named Herschel Walker. What was the Dawgs record in 1979, 6-5 ? Using today’s standards Dooley should have been canned after the 1979 season.
Look at Mark Richt’s overall record after 12 seasons. His time is coming for the big show. Alabama cannot win forever. Saban & Spurrier will be retired in a few years and CMR will be at the top.
Devil's Advocate
December 4th, 2012
9:49 am
I don’t know about it being out-of-line but it’s an a-hole question. Do you people think there’s a real answer to those types of questions? We over-analyze everything in today’s world. If the expert talking heads say something should happen and it doesn’t then our heads explode.
In football, someone has to win and someone has to lose. UGA couldn’t have gotten any closer other than catching the ball in the endzone with the first foot coming down out-of-bounds. They lost. What possible scientific answer of fact could Richt have given to satisfy such a question?
“Both Murray and I have a recessive gene that prevents us from winning big games.”
For the record, Richt’s early teams won their share of big games. Murray has performed at a high level his entire career including 2 SEC East titles compared to 0 for the #1 pick Stafford.
Maybe people should take their heads out of their backsides and look at reality. I’m mad that UGA didn’t do more to slow Bama’s run in the 3rd quarter. I’m mad that Bobo/Richt didn’t let Murray spike the ball like he wanted.
gfc
December 4th, 2012
9:50 am
Obviously many of you either didn’t read the article and how Oliver point blank admitted it was the absolute worst time to ask the question, didn’t listen to Oliver discuss the issue yesterday on air (http://www.stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=87&c=672&f=858601) or are such ignorant close minded homers that UGA can absolutely never ever do any wrong. The question was a valid question as evidenced by many of these responses – there ARE people who are and will say Richt and Murray choke. Paraphrasing Oliver – he knew that come 3.00p Monday he was going to get calls – quite possibly from some of you – blasting UGA for not winning the big games and he wanted to get Richt’s thoughts. Had he asked the question Monday, Sunday, heck, even a couple of hours later on Saturday, the question would have been very valid. Also, paraphrasing Oliver, yes, he had been critical Friday and Saturday (before the game) of UGA and it’s ability to play the big game. By his words, though, UGA fully held it’s own and threw off that label while playing Alabama. So the question truly was “People are going to say . . . ” and not “I think that . . . ” Personally, when Richt had asked him if HE was saying it, had Oliver responded with “no, coach, you guys came up huge today” would have made the timing more appropriate.
monty
December 4th, 2012
9:50 am
Yeh bad timing but not anything al the pundits on ESPN haven’t been saying. Does CMR have his head in the sand? Our guys did play hard, just wish they knew another way to tackle beside all arms.
Woofey One
December 4th, 2012
9:50 am
Way over the line. Either take credit for it as your belief or fold your tent.
James
December 4th, 2012
9:50 am
Nothing wrong with Oliver’s questions, Richt’s response, or either of them apoligizing after the fact. It was a tough game to lose, but there are real questions about where the program is and where it is going. I think the most interesting part of this entire discussion is that Georgia fans were ready to run Richt out of Athens before the Florida game, but want Oliver fired now for asking about Richt’s lack of success recently. Richt is a great coach and deserves more respect from the fan base. Enough of this hotseat crap after every loss. The slogan that UGA Atheltics have been using this year is “Commit to the G” The fan base needs to commit, or go buy Tech stuff and enjoy watching the triple option.
Topp Dogg
December 4th, 2012
9:51 am
Chuck says this all the time on his show.Why when asked if he said it he had no Balls and would not own up.Its easy to talk big when hidden behind the radio.New show called the game is far better, try it you just might change i did.
Music City Dawg
December 4th, 2012
9:51 am
Yes the question was completely out of line, especially the timing of it. Sports news people need to get a clue about what coaches and players go thru during the season and wise up! Just because a person is a news reporter doesn’t mean everything is fair game.
monty
December 4th, 2012
9:52 am
RGB
If BAMA had lost there would have been plenty of Monday morning QBing also.
Chi Town
December 4th, 2012
9:53 am
What a bunch of loser mutt fans.
UGA91
December 4th, 2012
9:53 am
@Mark Fan what about the same HIT to Mccarron by UGA earlier in the game. I think it was only payback…which is a Biotch. You can’t really being saying the refs caused us to lose? Get real.
@RGB…AMEN!!!
Geez
December 4th, 2012
9:54 am
I don’t think the question was “out of line” – the timing could have been better. But it is a fact that, on the “big stage” and in the “big games” we come up short far more often than not. That isn’t dissing on anyone, per se, but it is an unfortunate fact. As close as the SECCG was, it is still only that — just close.
Taco
December 4th, 2012
9:55 am
Bad Timing but truth is very painful usually.
gunter
December 4th, 2012
9:55 am
Stupid question! Will not be listening to 680 again until he’s gone! I will vote with my radio dial.
monty
December 4th, 2012
9:56 am
UGA91 is an imposter. A bama troll posing as a GA fan . Easy to spot.
wildcat10
December 4th, 2012
9:56 am
Good question, bad timing. Underthrow a receiver wide open for a touchdown, result interception and being blind sided by 300LB lineman. Last pass was supposed to be back of end zone. Mitchell was at the goal line with CB right beside him. Alabama defense was not on it’s “heels”, they were lined up and ready to go. Spike the ball, set up the plays you want. Defense gave up 1st down on 3rd and 15. Alabama scored 7 or 8 plays later, tireing out the defense in the process. Too many missed opportunities and penalties. Wait till next year.
Biff Pocoroba
December 4th, 2012
9:57 am
That was a forced apology by management. Truth.
DAWG POUND
December 4th, 2012
9:58 am
“I am a dawg fan, but I was disappointed in CMR’ response and attitude. Look at the numbers, they do not lie. Aaron Murray folds like a cheap tent in the wind in big games.”
LMAO! If you call what we saw Saturday evening “folding” then you need to have your head examined. I personally have attended every SEC Championship game. The game (maybe not you) everyone else watched was the best SEC Championship game played to date! We were playing what is most likely to be the eventual national champion in Bama. Remember a few weeks ago when this team gave up 44 to a horrid Volunteer team? Remember when they turned around the next week and got blown out by a pretty good SC team? Wow! This team made HUGE strides right before our eyes this season. If many of you can’t see that then start following some other sport like “succer” because every year 120 + teams in the FBS suit it up with only 1 standing at the end! Do we want Georgia to be that one? Yeah! Is it likely every year? NO! Was this team a national championship team this year? Nah! Were they close to it? Yep! Did we believe it might actually happen when they were snapping the ball with 5 seconds to go? Nick Saban did! For me and most fans that’s all we could have asked of this season from this team and CMR!!!
GO DAWGS!!!
jack
December 4th, 2012
9:59 am
91 – CMR did not blow the game. UGA played a great game against the top team and came up just short. The entire team, coaches included lost that game. Several things could have gone differently and the outcome would have been different. We got our breaks as well though. Blew the game??? Your nuts.
Truth
December 4th, 2012
10:00 am
Richt channelled his inner “Saban”.
JonBeck
December 4th, 2012
10:00 am
I’d much rather listen to Athens sports radio anyway. 960AM the Ref. You can listen it to it online at their website. I’ve enjoyed those guys for years.
C from Marietta
December 4th, 2012
10:01 am
@ redd
You really think Chuck Oliver knows more about football than Coach Richt?
Then, your the idiot. Chuck Oliver is a blow hard. If Chuck Oliver knew more about football than Coach Richt. He would actually be coaching football and not spewed his OPINION on the radio. Chuch Oliver is a tool.
The Truth
December 4th, 2012
10:01 am
Chuck Oliver is a hack – with or without him asking a poorly worded and timed question to Mark Richt. The question itself was 100% fair, but he should have manned up with the way he asked it. Either way, the Chuck & Chernoff show is the worst sports radio program in Atlanta. It’s like listening to 2 drunk trolls argue at an overpriced chain sports bar.
Dawg Whisperer
December 4th, 2012
10:01 am
I think the self-proclaimed King of college football abdicated his throne with that question. There is plenty of time to discuss the issue of big wins but not after a game that Murray played with the heart of a lion. When you look at the malicious helmet to helmet shot that he took and then performed even better afterwards with a last minute dfrive to the Alabama goal, Chuck’s question is not only untimely but arrogant.
I respect the work that Chuck does but one perpetual problem with the media is arrogance. The question seemed to be rhetorical and represented more of a statement than a question. In my opinion, timing wasn’t the only problem with the question.
C from Marietta
December 4th, 2012
10:01 am
Sports talk radio is foolish anyway.
frank
December 4th, 2012
10:02 am
i wish he would have also asked my question!
“coach when you lose a close game like this do you think looking back that skipping a day of practice to go swimming was a good idea?”
KingNoCojones
December 4th, 2012
10:02 am
It really was them, “squeal” not me that is asking.
Chuck Oliver
December 4th, 2012
10:02 am
Ummm….I’m sorry I acted like a jack arse!
monty
December 4th, 2012
10:03 am
Wildcat10-” Mitchell was at the goal line with CB right beside him.”
TRue that. But Murray had a reciever to the left side of the field one-on-one with no saftey or linebacker underneath or over the top. He chose the wrong reciever. Quick slant in and game over.
Topp Dogg
December 4th, 2012
10:04 am
DAWG POUND said it all,read it,think about it,and understand it.
Woody Bass
December 4th, 2012
10:04 am
it was a valid question… however poorly worded and Chuck said as much on his show.
Dawg Whisperer
December 4th, 2012
10:05 am
One more thing… Richt is the epitome of a professional that makes the vast majority of UGA grads not only proud but appreciative of his uniqueness of character and class. He is also a darn good coach. Go dawgs!
St Simons - we're on Island time
December 4th, 2012
10:06 am
a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts
Mike
December 4th, 2012
10:06 am
Chuck should have spiked the question, taken a moment to call a new one and win the press conference but he choked.
I guess choking is contagious.
Gene Chizik
December 4th, 2012
10:07 am
Some coaches are not big game. Its hard to go undefeated. Richt just does not have it and he is mad that he was called out. He will never join the pantheon of elite national title winning coaches.
32 years of not knowing what an undefeated season is sad. I mean UGA was given the easiest schedule since 1980 and they were not able to do it.
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 4th, 2012
10:09 am
I don’t like The King but he did NOTHING WRONG.
If you read the blogs and listen to the Fans we have ALL HEARD IT.
“Richt, Bobo & Murray can’t win the BIG GAME. The Dwags are 3-10 against top 25 teams the last 3 years.”
Chuck Oliver was asking a question that has been out there for most of Richt’s career.
Richt was just MAD cause he knows it tis true. The Fans on the AJC LIVE GAME BLOGS……….scream every other play Fire Richt or Fire Bobo They can’t win the BIG GAME.
It was a Great Question. The Richt Call In Radio show will filter out callers that try to bring up the question.
Chuck Oliver just did what MANY FANS have asked or said.
Richt was just touchy cause he just LOST Another BIG GAME.