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.
587 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
December 4th, 2012
1:49 pm
I think you guys water down, if not completely invalidate what might be a legit question, on the whole, by insisting that it applies HERE. You lose the subjectiveness of argument by predending THIS game was simply “anotehre big game.
It’s like that stat about “ranked teams” last year. Well, if we lost to #23 that might be less of a loaded stat. When you are NOT a top 10 team, and you play 4 top 10 teams, losing to all, that’s really to be expected, more than its some shocking revelation. Basically we were not a top10 team. Ok , Thats that. Why not? well let’s see. this and this and that. and THOSE question are from last year. You can’t drag that forward to a press conference following the 2012 SECCG
And this was not just some “big game” It’s a loss to the best team in the nation. A team that is better than UGA, everybody knew that, nobody disputes that…..and we lost. It’s simply that..
IF people want to know why we don’t have a better team than Alabama right now, that’s fine. But that is a MUCH Larger issue (that every team in the nation is ALSO asking right now) than a question about generic “big games”.
The1TrueDawg
December 4th, 2012
1:51 pm
Mike: Slap yourself, dude. If you think King Jackass is a “journalist”, then you definitely are not one! If you think asking a question like “Hey Coach, I ran into a homeless guy yesterday who said you can’t win any big games while he was pissing down his own leg…how do you respond to that?” is what a journalist does, then you are definitely not a journalist!
Man there are some really stupid people on this board.
PMC
December 4th, 2012
1:52 pm
Good question, bad timing. It’s a much better question for Spring Practice.
Bosox9
December 4th, 2012
1:52 pm
Bad timing, valid question. That said, this Dog losing effort isn’t in the same category as several others in recent years to top 10 teams. Special teams kept Dogs in it, but defense got bullied by a punishing offensive line and two bruising running backs. A team that averages 7 yards per rush isn’t going down very often.
Chuck
December 4th, 2012
1:52 pm
It’s funny, how the media tells us so many of our games are huge throughout the season. I wonder why only the ones that they maintain as huge after the fact are the ones we didn’t win?
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986
December 4th, 2012
1:55 pm
If Oliver is still alive, then no, Richt did not overreact.
Cobb Dawg
December 4th, 2012
1:56 pm
Oliver’s a Barner. He asked that question because of his team’s humiliation at the hands of UGA and Bama, and he had to vent. Plain and simple. His “explanation” does not hold water. But CMR has forgiven him so the rest of us should also. Hopefully he’s learned his Barner lesson.
Kevin
December 4th, 2012
1:59 pm
Grow a backbone Chuck. You can’t be their friend and a reporter. It’s bad enough that 680 the Fan is the flagship station for the dawgs, but now their reporters are apologizing for asking questions at a press conference. If you can’t ask the big boy questions stay out of the press room and go back to the class room.
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:00 pm
dogs lose
dogs cry about the refs
dogs cry about the media
Just like Nobama, the dogs blame everyone but their hairy butt selves
Time to take responsibility for your “We’re #6 We’re #6 product in the SEC! SEC! Least.
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:01 pm
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:00 pm
dogs lose
dogs cry about the refs
dogs cry about the media
Just like Nobama, the dogs blame everyone but their hairy butt selves
Time to take responsibility for your “We’re #6 We’re #6 product in the SEC! SEC! Least.
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Another idiot tool on a UGA blog. Go figure.
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:02 pm
Kevin
December 4th, 2012
1:59 pm
Grow a backbone Chuck. You can’t be their friend and a reporter. It’s bad enough that 680 the Fan is the flagship station for the dawgs, but now their reporters are apologizing for asking questions at a press conference. If you can’t ask the big boy questions stay out of the press room and go back to the class room.
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Kevin, it was a stupid question.
Paddy
December 4th, 2012
2:02 pm
Like I said, never heard of the guy. But most of you have by your comments. I don’t listen to that station, so it looks like I have not missed much.
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:03 pm
It’s a stupid question because didn’t UGA with Richt and Murray beat the #2 team at the time that is now playing in the Sugar Bowl? I thought so.
Esquire
December 4th, 2012
2:05 pm
Publicity stunt…………….ratings bumper…………….just bs, that’s all.
AltamahaDawg
December 4th, 2012
2:05 pm
It would also be easier to follow the ad naseum critisism of Coach Richt if you guy could deside if he is too nice, or too snippy. Does he always blame or does he defend his players too much?
Basically, he is wrong no matter what he says?
EastCobbDawg
December 4th, 2012
2:07 pm
Buckeye is a maroon.
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:09 pm
Murray ( being Murray against ranked teams Murray) is now 1-11
If I concede the win over Arkansas ( which we all saw with our own eyes) , then Murray and the rest of you delusional dogs are only 1 game up in the win column.
If the dogs are so damn good, we hope to see you next year in the semis.
Urban will make sure to save his, and I quote:
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:09 pm
east cobb dog is #6
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:10 pm
kerry b,
Are my facts wrong?
Thought not.
Buckeye
December 4th, 2012
2:11 pm
east cobb dog,
It’s moron, moron.
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
2:12 pm
Esquire
December 4th, 2012
2:05 pm
Publicity stunt…………….ratings bumper…………….just bs, that’s all.
==================================================
The DREAM TEAM was a publicity Stunt too but it was Richt’s publicity Stunt.
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:13 pm
All of this big game crap started in the last couple of years. I believe The first 8 years of Richt’s time in Athens he was regularly beating top 10 teams and was doing it on the road where he had the best road record in college football. If you know Georgia football you know that the problem has been that UGA has had an O-line problem for a few years. Some players did not pan out and some where injured and had to quit football which left UGA thin at O-line. All of the games that Murray has not done so good in was the ones that he was pressured relentlessly because of poor O-line play. That was the SC game this year. Inexperience on the O-line caught up to them in that game against a good D-line. Since then the O-line played better and Murray played better. On Saturday the O-line played a good game and Murray had a good game in a big game. The whole thing about big games boils down to the O-line and that’s it. The good thing is that the entire O-line will be back next year and Murray will have another big year.
International Organization of Winners and Achievers
December 4th, 2012
2:14 pm
We have very few members from Georgia. Understandably so. Only losers congratulate and celebrate a losing effort. Georgia wasn’t playing the New York Giants. They played and lost to the worst Bama squad in 5 years. Pathetic really. And a foreign mindset to winners. We will use the celebratory reaction to a loss as a case study while researching the elusive “loser gene” theory. Georgia seems to be a target rich environment in the study of what we call “pathetic loser syndrome”, or PLS. Perhaps a telethon is in order.
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
2:15 pm
Coach what State in the SEC has the BEST High School Talent?
Coach Why does the state with the BEST High School talent not have a BCS Title since 1980?
Coach Why do some of the best kids UNDER PREFORM at UGa or go to other SEC schools and win Crystal Footballs?
a country boy can survive
December 4th, 2012
2:17 pm
how has CMR done the last 4 years kerryb?
Erin "spike the ball" Murray
December 4th, 2012
2:19 pm
Coach why haven’t you won an SEC Championship in 7 years?
Coach why haven’t you won a National Championship in 31 years?
Coach why are your fans such drunken, trash talking, obnoxious, arrogant losers?
Coach what happened to your hair?
Dawginlex
December 4th, 2012
2:20 pm
I eatz poo
UGA_DWG
December 4th, 2012
2:20 pm
Fanbase is hungry for a championship. Could taste SEC championship within the final seconds of that game I think next years expectation will be that UGA must get a SEC championship. The expectations after a loss like that are going to be extremely high whether that’s fair or not to Richt, coaches and the players.
a country boy can survive
December 4th, 2012
2:20 pm
All the Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Bama teams had Georgia kids on their roster when they won the crystal football…proof positive, if you want a championship ring, you’ll have to leave the state to get one…
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:20 pm
a country boy can survive
December 4th, 2012
2:17 pm
how has CMR done the last 4 years kerryb?
_________________________________________________________
Apparently you could only managed to read the first 2 sentences of my post and not the rest. I guess you just didn’t want to get past the first 2 sentences eager to make a negative post.
had enough
December 4th, 2012
2:22 pm
One more thing in 1974 Vince Dooley lost to Ga tech.It was said that in the looker room after the game he promised the team he would be a better coach and was. Richt will get this team back in this game and it may take a year or two but we will win it. You got to give the tide credit that they played a great game and now maybe the team can learn not to talk . Yes I am talking to you BR.You had a chance to make the int and you didn’t. But this team cannot tackle worth a flip.
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:24 pm
The thing I questioned about the game was why did Todd Grantham have Mike Gilliard (aka: softy) in the game the whole second half? They were running the ball right at him and he could not stop it. They did not run to the left where Ogletree was. They ran to the right where Gilliard was with most of their running plays.
Donna Lawton
December 4th, 2012
2:28 pm
I am profoundly proud of Coach Richt for standing up for his team, himself and his players. Wonder why Murray didn’t want to address the media before the game? He knew he would be pounded by such stupid bonehead questions! If I could have gotten to Chuck Oliver I would have snatched his microphone and put it where the sun doesn’t shine.
These are our Georgia Dawgs and they left EVERYTHING on the field! Get over yourself and give a little praise-Gooooo Dawgs and kiss my southern grits Chuck !!!!!!!
7576DAWG
December 4th, 2012
2:29 pm
Reality Check
You need to find a new Blog title unless you are referring to yourself as needing a reality check.
The SEC ended up with 6 teams in the top 10 in the BCS. 3 of those team were in the East and 3 from the West Division. That means Georgia had to play 2 top ten teams plus one more from the West division. It was not Georgia’s fault that Tennessee and Auburn are rebuilding after winning Championships. I,m glad they were down. Most teams in other Conference’s play maybe one top ten team and maybe one or two rated between 10 to 25.
Playing in the SEC Conference every team already plays more teams that end up in the top 12 than any team from any other Conference. I expect to play 4 or 5 top 12 teams every year and the SEC got tired of not only playing 3 to 5 top 12 teams but when you schedule another top 12 team your schedule is that much harder.
For example Notre Dame thought they had a hard schedule this year but the only teams that they played who ended up in the top 25 were Stanford 6TH , Oklahoma 11TH and Michigan- 18TH. Georgia on the other hand , thought to have one of the easiest schedules had to play Ala. 2ND , Fla. 3RD and South Carolina 10TH. Just a little bit harder than Notre Dames and I am being sarcastic.
The reason the SEC started scheduling easy non conference games is to help small colleges with their budget demands for the entire Athletic department for the year and hopefully guarantee us a win. Also it was very frustrating when a Big Ten or ACC team played maybe 1 top 25 team all year and don’t have to prove they have the depth to compete with 3 to 5 top 10 ranked teams at the end of the year.That is why the SEC dominates in the bowl match up’s.
When a Blogger like you mouths off and can’t back up anything all it prove is your envy and your lack of pride in your own team or Conference. For now the SEC is the standard, Get use to it.
UgaBlows
December 4th, 2012
2:29 pm
the tantalizingly close outcome of the Bama game is further proof that God hates ugay and all their fans….yall will never get this close with the Righteou$ Rev. Richt again…..but will never be able to fire him either
364 yards rushing....
December 4th, 2012
2:29 pm
they left everything on the field….. AND STILL LOST!
Fleischman in Chi Towns Bed
December 4th, 2012
2:31 pm
If you fire Saint Richt you will make baby Jesus cry
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:31 pm
364 yards rushing….
December 4th, 2012
2:29 pm
they left everything on the field….. AND STILL LOST!
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Idiot
Steveo
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
Oliver is an Auburn homer and has always been jealous of Georgia…680 just lost me as a listener because of that smartass question!!
CEPH
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
Richt is so stupid he couldn’t answer the right question when he came back on stage. Oliver didn’t say anything about them not playing hard or playing their tails off, he asked him about Murray’s and his performance in big games. As usual Richt isn’t going to answer anything that puts him in a bad light Please doesn’t someone country need a missionary RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!!!!
a country boy can survive
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
no kerryb, I read the whole message…just sounded like the o-line is our excuse story is just that… a story, a fairy tale…it has taken 4 years to fix the o-line?…you had chop-block Jones and Cordy Glenn…Clint Boling and Justin Anderson, all drafted in last couple of years…thats just off the top of my head…coaching, coaching, coaching….
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
I just laugh reading all of these idiot Tech trolls that come on here hiding behind names that will not identify them as Tech trolls. One thing is guaranteed at Tech and that is losing or mediocre seasons.
Terry Shirey, Sr
December 4th, 2012
2:33 pm
To all the Chuck Olivers and other journalist who hid behind “many people have said”, why not have the guts to use your own opinions when asking questions. I’m proud of Richt’s response.
To all you others who want to talk about game plans, coaching ability, a player’s performance and don’t have the guts to use your own real name, I can only say that there are coaching jobs available at Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee that will pay in excess of $3 million a year, you should apply for them since you are such brilliant coaches.
Lastly, remember: “Its not the x’s and o’s that win games; its the performance of the willie’s and joe’s.”
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:33 pm
CEPH
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
Richt is so stupid he couldn’t answer the right question when he came back on stage. Oliver didn’t say anything about them not playing hard or playing their tails off, he asked him about Murray’s and his performance in big games. As usual Richt isn’t going to answer anything that puts him in a bad light Please doesn’t someone country need a missionary RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!!!!
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idiot #2
364 yards rushing....
December 4th, 2012
2:36 pm
Your the idiot kerryb… defending a team who CHOKES in every big game.
Your the idiot kerryb… still bitter about the game. Take it like a man and move on!
Dawginlex
December 4th, 2012
2:37 pm
I ate poo
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:41 pm
a country boy can survive
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
no kerryb, I read the whole message…just sounded like the o-line is our excuse story is just that… a story, a fairy tale…it has taken 4 years to fix the o-line?…you had chop-block Jones and Cordy Glenn…Clint Boling and Justin Anderson, all drafted in last couple of years…thats just off the top of my head…coaching, coaching, coaching….
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You are ignorant of football. That is no excuse it is just a fact. Georgia had depth problems at O-line in 2009 and 2010. Things started to get better in 2011 and this year. UGA is about recovered from that and is now back to winning 10 games a year like Richt was doing before. You are right, it was coaching in 2009 and 2010 because Stacy Searles was doing a poor job at the position. There is another group coming in next year and O-line depth will not be a problem any longer. You will then see UGA winning like they are suppose to.
Smack Talk?
December 4th, 2012
2:42 pm
Buckeye here is a stat question for you; what is Ohio State’s record against the SEC?
kerryb
December 4th, 2012
2:43 pm
364 yards rushing….
December 4th, 2012
2:36 pm
Your the idiot kerryb… defending a team who CHOKES in every big game.
Your the idiot kerryb… still bitter about the game. Take it like a man and move on!
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You are still the biggest moron on the planet. If you call what happened choking then I can’t help you with your mental abilities because there is nothing there.
364 yards rushing....
December 4th, 2012
2:43 pm
anyone who copies and pastes other people posts and then responds is cool