Why I can’t be mad at A.J. Green
I’ll be honest. My first reaction when I heard of A.J. Green’s four-game suspension was one of anger.
And it wasn’t because Green owes any of us anything. I want to see the guy play because he’s a great player. And when there is a big game like Saturday’s between Georgia and South Carolina I want both teams to have all of their weapons. I love college football and I want to see great players play. And we’ve got too many guys who are not playing right now because of NCAA rules violations.
No, I was angry at A.J. because it seems so unnecessary. Early next year A.J. Green is going to be a very wealthy man because he is going to turn pro. So the money was coming. A.J. is a smart kid and he knew that there is no level where selling his jersey for a lousy $1,000 bucks was not a rules violation. The risk/reward/punishment equation for doing this just didn’t add up.
If this NCAA ruling stands (three more games on suspension), and it shouldn’t because it’s excessive, what should be an unforgettable junior season for Green will be forever tainted with “Yeah, he was good but he missed four games.” That made me sad and, at first, angry.
But I learned a long time ago that it’s easy for us adults to wag our fingers and say “Hey, those are the rules. You gotta follow them.” We’re not in the kid’s shoes. We don’t have to watch while the schools fill the stadiums, accept millions from television and make more millions from selling his jersey (with his name on it) while the system pats us on the head and assures us that our day is coming if we’ll only be patient. We really only learn that kind of patience as an adult. Youth, by its very defintion, is not patient.
Understand that the NCAA makes these rules not to regulate what actually happens, like one kid selling a jersey for $1,000. The rules are in place to control what COULD happen–like a kid selling 500 jerseys (provided to him by an agent) for $1,000 each. The NCAA punishes the nickle and dime stuff in hopes of preventing something really big and bad from happening.
When Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant lied to investigators about his relationship with Deion Sanders, the NCAA banned him for the rest of his junior season. Bryant was not truthful but was his lie REALLY that bad? Well, no but the move sent a chilling message to other athletes: Lie to NCAA investigators and you’re done. That message was received and understood. Now before every interview with the NCAA the kid has the fear of God put in him. That was by design.
Yes, the financial end of college athletics is certainly to the benefit of the schools. It’s all one big double standard, we know that. But certain things are just a blatant slap in the face to these guys. The fact that A.J. Green may lose a third of his junior season for selling a jersey while the University Bookstore sells a bunch of them is a double slap. It’s the establishment telling these kids: We can make money off your talent and fame in every damn way we please. If you try it, though, we’ll use the rules to take you out and to keep you in line.
The NCAA enforcement people have been working overtime this summer trying to keep a lid on a bunch of these issues from Agent Gate to Hotel Gate. At the core of all of them is a system where the athletes realize on a daily basis that they are getting a raw deal. They get to the point where they don’t care any more. It’s “hey, if they catch me they catch me but I’m not taking this any more.”
We as fans wonder where the loyalty is to the institution. But through the eyes of a young kid from modest or poor circumstances, that loyalty street seems to only run one way.
I don’t have a lot of answers for you this morning but I would suggest this: A school like Georgia should be able to sell all of the No. 8 jerseys it wants. The jersey and the number belong to the school.
But when some schools–and I am told that Georgia is not one of them–start putting name on the back on the jersey then you have crossed an ethical line. What the kid did on the field made that jersey more valuable than a generic one. He created that extra value and cannot share in it. So the school shouldn’t share in it either.
So let’s just end that practice. Is it a little thing in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely. But it would be one less slap in the face to a group of people who are getting tired of being pushed around.
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847 comments Add your comment
jspiker
September 9th, 2010
9:31 am
“I wonder how far $1000 went at KFC”
Ignorant. Stupid. Disgusting. Your mother must be proud.
A GT Fan
September 9th, 2010
9:31 am
To say that I’m not a UGA fan would be an understatement, but I completely agree with Tony here. It’s a shame that the NCAA and colleges can make millions off these star players (FAR eclipsing the cost of the education and extras these athletes receive), but the players can’t even *work a job* that makes over a certain amount of money (I can’t remember the threshold) in the offseason.
AJ Green is a special talent. He’s fun to watch, even as someone who actively cheers against UGA. It’s a shame he’s going to miss 1/3 of his final season. Everyone loses when this happens to special talents like AJ – UGA fans, SEC fans, college football fans.
404
September 9th, 2010
9:34 am
I remember when the AJC reported that former UGA WR Terrence Edwards received multiple Death Threat phone calls at his parents home after he dropped a sure TD pass vs. Florida in 2002, ruining UGA’s chance of going 12-0 that year.
A frequently overlooked fact is that AJ Green started at UGA at Age 20.
He is now a 23 year old in his 3rd year at UGA. He must have repeated the 1st grade 2 or 3 times to achieve that.
Now, we have a so-called “respected journalist” who uses the title
“Mr. College Football” aka UGA-SEC mega-homer Barnhart stating that he was angry, YES ANGRY, at AJ Green.
As someone wrote earlier, how pathetic is a grown man thats “ANGRY”
at a 23 year old football player to which he has no family or business relationship?
But hey, Barnhart is just…A STEREO-TYPICAL UGA FAN.
Joshua Barlowe
September 9th, 2010
9:34 am
Tony – do us all a favor and change your name to “Mr. SEC.”
Give me a break. And they pay you for this and call it journalism?
jarvis
September 9th, 2010
9:35 am
Not defending AJ. He knew the rules and chose to break them. It’s like income tax evasion. I can see why people aren’t happy with paying taxes…they don’t like how the money is being spent etc, but that doesn’t mean that that’s a very good defense for evasion.
As for the NCAA rules themselves, they are msotly sh*t.
NCAA better watch itself. They are going to eventually be sued out of existence. They aren’t a government entity, and they don’t have the right to restrict the earning potential of anyone. With the NFL’s employment rules requiring these kids to have to have been out of high school for 3 years before playing in the League, this doesn’t leave the kids much of a choice other than to go to school to “prepare” for their future careers, and limiting their earnings while they are in school seems legally questionable to me.
The opposite of the NFL is the NCAA. They are not a private company, nor do the kids actually work for them In my opinion, it is only going to take one lawsuit challenging the use of a players likeness in video games and jersey sales, and the NCAA is going to lose it’s foothold.
Will
September 9th, 2010
9:35 am
If I were AJ I would be mad I didn’t attend the Miami party now. Those guys only got 1 or 2 game suspensions. The NCAA sux arse like The Obama Admn.
sb
September 9th, 2010
9:36 am
FREE AJ !!!!!!!!!! If the Jersey don’t fit you must Aquit !!!!!!!!!!!
sb
September 9th, 2010
9:37 am
I have A #8 Jersey with Belue on it. Can we get the NCAA to suspend Buck from the Radio!!!!
GeezusDawg
September 9th, 2010
9:38 am
1) student athlete’s do get a stipend
2) if you are on a full academic scholarship you are not held to the same restrictions as athletes
3) Tony, given that you are Mr. College Football, you are making quite a living off the backs of these young men as well.
Steve Spurrier
September 9th, 2010
9:39 am
Anyone want to buy a used UGA #8 jersey? Cheap?
KAW
September 9th, 2010
9:39 am
Yes, the university is making a ton of money from college football on Saturday. But, don’t forget, these kids are getting a free education. I understand that it may not equate to what the University is receiving. However, not all these kids will turn pro and hopefully they will be able to use their degree to succeed.
jarvis
September 9th, 2010
9:39 am
GeezusDawg that’s like saying John Grisham makes money off of lawyers.
Bulldawgrob.
September 9th, 2010
9:40 am
Jeff,
I have had season tickts for the last 15 years and iI have spent thousands of dollar and i seriously doubt you spend thousand of dollars a year on UGA.with that said if UGA can’t win the nexts 2 games without AJ Green then the Dawgs are in trouble because one man don’t make a team.Georgia played there best games last year whn he was hurt by the way.Jeff,I really think you are a moron and one of those Tech nerds and not a bulldawg.We teach kids in Pop Warner football that one kid does not make a team.Football is a team game.
sb
September 9th, 2010
9:40 am
Brian Bosworth had it right NCAA = National Communists Against Athletes!!!!
St. Richt
September 9th, 2010
9:40 am
82Dawg, what makes you so sure CMR and the Georgia program aren’t hiding something else? I’ll admit it is all conjecture but its obvious your program is not exactly as pure as the driven snow either. You guys amaze me that its always someone else’s fault- the NCAA or the Athens-Clarke County PD. But I guess you take after your sackless coach in that regard. Keep letting the inmates run the asylum, just like he learned from the best at FSU.
jarvis
September 9th, 2010
9:41 am
KAW….to my earlier point, you think AJ Green wants an education in Phys Ed? He has no choice. It’s not baseball or even to a lesser degree basketball, there is no where else to play.
Karma
September 9th, 2010
9:41 am
I’m just getting started mutts
robodawg
September 9th, 2010
9:42 am
Well said. Another thing is that for many people in this country a lousy $1,000 bucks is a lot of money, and depending on circumstances, a lousy $1,000 bucks could be desperately needed right away. I don’t mind making college athletes wait before they earn the big money, but there ought to be some way of sharing a sliver of the huge proceeds they generate (for schools, hotels, merchandisers and the media) with families of athletes when they are in need. There’s a qualitative difference b/w selling out so for big bucks so you can buy expensive things (or go to fancy parties in Miami) and helping out your family when they really need it, and the NCAA really needs to find a legitimate channel for the latter.
Set up an account and allow families to apply for aid from it. Or provide some form of insurance (health, life, employment, income) for the families of all athletes. Sometimes athletes face a moral quandary over these things, especially when it’s not only about them. (Just ask Herschel.) So let’s make it easier for them.
St. Richt
September 9th, 2010
9:42 am
Tony, agree with the other poster – this story is garbage.
Bulldawgrob.
September 9th, 2010
9:43 am
What AJ did was wrong and e should be punished but the NCAA needs to be consistent.If it’s 4 games it should be 4 games for everyone no matter who they play for.
LarryDawg1
September 9th, 2010
9:43 am
You can’t take your girlfriend to movies with a meal card or rent money. They want you to play, they have to feed and house you. And if you expect these guys to have no life but school and football, you are fooling yourself. You did more than that when you were in college! Be real! Stop taking this unrealistic view of youth and college life! Wake up! And UGA WILL BEAT s.c. with or without A.J.!
beyond wrong
September 9th, 2010
9:44 am
i was just a regular college student back in the day, i would have sold my left nut for a grand….
r
September 9th, 2010
9:44 am
Where is Tony???
Brock
September 9th, 2010
9:44 am
Jason at 8:27am nailed it.
Derinda Moore
September 9th, 2010
9:45 am
I’m disappointed you have this attitude Tony. If you think of how much college costs these days, housing, food, tuition as well as the tutoring these athletes get I would say they are very well compensated. There are many students out there that either can’t attend school because of financial issues and they can’t get student loans or schlorships, or they are paying back student loans for years after they graduate. When I look at it that way, no sympathy for these kids.
LarryDawg1
September 9th, 2010
9:46 am
Bulldawgrob, I agree with you on that. But, 4 games is too much, especially for selling a jersey. A few years ago we had guys selling bowl their rings! Do you all remember that? You all need to step back, take a breath, and remember, these are kids.
guy
September 9th, 2010
9:46 am
so i assume youre going to be donating a portion of your salary that you make writing about these superstars to them tony? it’s only fair. you’re making a lot of money writing about these kids and they dont get anything at all.
SOUTHGADAWG88
September 9th, 2010
9:46 am
Well maybe the NFL should start a farm system like baseball and bypass the NCAA all together.That way you wont have all these offended fans that think tuition is a fair enough trade for the millions these schools make off 100 or so kids who play football or basketball for them.Takea kid on an academic scholarship for let’s say engineering.Well if a talent scout at a big firm wants to woo him as a junior…guess what?he can give him all the cash and gifts he wants…that kid is not going to be punished by anybody.It’s hard to criticize a person if you have never been in the arena.You may think it’s easy to play college football and get your degree but there are thousands upon thousands of college kids who took 5,6 even 7 years to get that BA without playing any sports.One year of revenue from the Bulldog football team would fund all the scholarships of the 85 man team for 4 years with millions left in the pot.
Paul in RDU
September 9th, 2010
9:46 am
jarvis – There is a lawsuit going through the courts now about the NCAA (and the member schools) benefiting from the use of the likeness of players in video games, long after the players have left school. Google “Ed O’Bannon lawsuit”.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/sports/ncaabasketball/11colleges.html
GeezusDawg
September 9th, 2010
9:47 am
Jarvis,
Lawyers are not restricted like student athletes – unless your analogy is about Barnhart and college football. The logic there is the same – both sides can earn without restriction.
guy
September 9th, 2010
9:47 am
larrydawg, hilariously enough, the rule green broke was put in place after your boys sold their rings in 02.
St. Richt
September 9th, 2010
9:48 am
I love how all of these Dawg fans want to change the rules now that AJ has been caught. If memory serves, all of you were calling for the NCAA to throw the book at USC a few months ago. But now somehow the rules shouldn’t apply to you. I understand that this was nothing compared to USC, but its laughable that all of you are only now saying the system is broken. Where was all of the outrage while Reggie Bush was being investigated?
Alphare
September 9th, 2010
9:48 am
A rule is a rule. What part do some of you UGA fans don’t understand?
Seriously, are the US Constitution and amendments fair? if so, why is there gun rights argument going on then?
Is our tax law fair, I am sure rich people want a lower rate than poor because they are the ones “provide” jobs, and the poor want a lower rate because they are the one actually do the jobs.
If you take UGA as the rich people (create jobs) while athletes the poor people(do the job), who do you think should have a lower tax rate? I mean this is the south. You guys should know the answer.
Green does not really do his job(absentee because of rule violation), you people of the south should know what to do to him, don’t you?
82Dawg
September 9th, 2010
9:48 am
St. Richt First I never said it was anyone else fault. I did say the agent’s that are having contact with the underclassmen need to be held accountable as the player’s are.I do think we have problems and hopefully the new A.D. will be the answer to some of them. But the problem really starts at HOME when these kid’s are still young. There is no way CMR or any other coach can be with these guys 24/7. Why would CMR or anyone else at UGA want to hide anything? In today’s world there is no way it want get out. I personally think that CMR is above that.Why would he want to jeopardize his or the school’s future?
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2010
9:48 am
Disappointed in his choice is the better feeling. Like I had posted in Schultz’s blog, it looks as if AJ’s career will be one of great potential that will go unfullfilled. It is almost similar to Stafford, although, AJ had injury’s curtail season’s and now the NCAA issue. Great NFL potential that will leave the University with a bitter tast in its mouth potentially.
Heels Rock and Rule
September 9th, 2010
9:49 am
I think UGa FB players reflect the mentality of its students. “Nutt’n more important that FB, girls, and alcohol”.
TheTaxJacket
September 9th, 2010
9:50 am
((( 45 – 42 ))) not relevant? Where are we playing the game this year by the way? It’s only fair to bring up the score the LAST TIME WE PLAYED BETWEEN THE SHRUBS.
CPJ has you pathetic buttsniffers circled on his ****-list!!!! You caught him off guard last year when your thug players intentionally and brutally injured THE ROBOT in a pileup. He didn’t take you seriously because he had BIGGER FISH TO FRY. Well you’ve got his attention now, and trust me friend, that is NOT A PLACE YOU WANT TO BE.
Look for a beatdown of record proportions when Admiral CPJ steers the GT Navy into the Athens cesspool this November!!!!!!
macon whoopie
September 9th, 2010
9:50 am
it is shocking that Richt has been virtually silent on all the problems this year, and really for the past 3 years.
either there are very unfortunate family concerns consumign richts attention,
or there’s something really big and bad thats being kept hidden
from the public for richt or the new AD to not be saying ANYTHING
at all about whats been going on.
no public condemnation, no published “punishment” for the players invlolved, and virtually no public comments from the athletic association officials. nothing.
there is a stink thats beginning to rise out of athens.
if its something institutionally bad, it will be known in due time.
Dawg 1
September 9th, 2010
9:50 am
Same old stuff. A.J. committed a violation. He has been punished. He is out for four games of his Junior Season. Everybody survives this.
Bottomline:
D1 Football players should be paid $1,000 a month. Yes, they get a free education and perks, but they make millions for the University, not to mention the name recognition for the school. If you hold a 3.0 (and can get in) – average SAT in the Atlanta area to get into UGA is well over 1,300 now (not including the written) – then you are only paying room and board, without that part time (off season) and full time (during season) job you are asked to do.
Dawg fans – quit the whining. The rest of you – get a life and spend some time on your own sites – your pathetic – seriously – your pathetic.
Boots
September 9th, 2010
9:50 am
Tony, why can’t the school sell a jersey with the kid’s name on it but place a portion of the money in escrow until he graduates? This way, players get rewarded for the merchandise, but no monies are awarded until they graduate. If they don’t graduate by staying the full four years, they lose the funds in escrow. On another note, there should be a standard right to a quick hearing and appeal.
mowreck
September 9th, 2010
9:51 am
Coming from a GT fan. I think the punishment was a little harsh also. They should suspend the agent for 4 weeks, saying he can have NO contact with ANY player for that time. All he was doing was basically giving Green $1,000 dollars to show Green he had money and could get Green money by letting him represent him. He didn’t give a hoot for the jersey.
catlady
September 9th, 2010
9:52 am
No boo hoos from here. AJ has had a chance that REAL SCHOLARS would love to have, yet are denied. He has housing, food, counselors, academic support, tuition, travel expenses paid for while he showcases his talents. Yet, he blew it, and let down his team. Real SCHOLARS are not supported like this at UGa, and their work is considered “intellectual property” by the university, limiting their ability to cash in on their own work. So don’t cry for him, Argentina. Maybe it is time for the real world to come knocking.
RAMBLE ON!!!
September 9th, 2010
9:52 am
Tony, you are such a homer.
WHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Someone get a violin player.
gcs
September 9th, 2010
9:53 am
If you outlaw schools front printing names on back of jerseys, how long will it be before someone sets up a shop that will add the “Green” name to the #8 jersey you bought at the bookstore. Is that any fairer?
.
LarryDawg1
September 9th, 2010
9:53 am
Derinda Moore, I am paying back loans and paying for grad school out of my retirement fund! And I still do not have the sour grapes that some of you seem to have. If I had had the talent, I could have taken a different route, but that was not my lot. Fine! I’m not mad about who I am, and I’m not mad at the next guy for who he or she is. My having to pay for school has nothing to do with the next man. There are some things about me and some things about you that the student athlete could never handle. Maybe they can’t struggle and be successful lie you our I or any number of people on this blog. I am not threatened but free school for some guy. If that’s what they need to make it , so be it! It has nothing to do with who I am or who you are. If I’m paying I hope somebody is getting a better chance.
Party On
September 9th, 2010
9:53 am
No big deal for AJ—he’ll be partying extra hard at the Athens clubs since he doesn’t have to play for a few weeks. He’s just waiting on the NFL draft, and will soon be banking millions in cash, buying mansions, pimped up rides, hitting the top shelf clubs with tons of hot ladies looking for the bling. Life’s good for AJ!
Raw deal, No way..
September 9th, 2010
9:53 am
How can you say that these athletes are getting a raw deal…
If players were given a share of the revenue from football and basketball revenues there would be no other college sports period. no swimming, no baseball, no soccer, no gymnastics, no tennis, no wrestling, no….
The vast majority of these players will use their college education in their chosen field to make a living after their eligibility has expired so that free tuition, free room and free board pays off handsomely
Jonny
September 9th, 2010
9:54 am
Way to gloss over the fact that he “sold” the jersey to an agent or representative of an agent. That’s a BIG detail to omit.
Bulldawgrob.
September 9th, 2010
9:54 am
Enter your comments here
Spike
September 9th, 2010
9:55 am
TaxJacket has a big mouth for a team that cannot back it up. 0-5 in the last five bowl games. Lost eight out of nine against UGA, and lost the last two games they played last year. Keep woofin’ TaxJacket.