Johnson apologizes for comment
Greetings-
Notes from Tuesday.
1. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, whose oft-unfettered tongue and unwillingness to back down to rival Georgia have earned him the admiration of Tech fans, apologized for a poor choice of words on his radio show Tuesday night.
Near the end of his show, a caller, presumably a Georgia Bulldogs fan, came on the air and said, “Hello? Hello?” and then began barking before either hanging up or being cut off. Johnson responded, “Hello? Hello? He just got off from Walmart.”
Johnson, who earlier in the day had commented how most Georgia fans he encounters are cordial, said, “Anybody who calls into a radio show and barks is either retarded or doesn’t have a life.”
After the show, Johnson said he meant his response as a joke, “but it was a poor choice of words on my part and I sincerely apologize. It was not my intention to offend anyone.”
Advocates for people with mental disabilities have campaigned to stop the use of the word “retard” or “retarded” as a slur, calling it hurtful and dehumanizing.
(Not sure what to say. It was a poor choice of words.)
2. A-back Orwin Smith, who sat out last Saturday’s game with a toe injury, practiced Tuesday and will try to play in Saturday’s game against Georgia.
“I will at least try,” Smith said Tuesday. “The worst that can happen is me going out there and me not being able to play, but I will give it a shot.”
Smith said he ran full speed at practice and “limped around a couple times,” but overall said he felt great. Smith is the Yellow Jackets’ most dangerous playmaker on offense. He averages 10.8 yards per carry and 23.8 yards per reception and has scored 11 touchdowns in 65 offensive touches. He has been receiving a variety of treatments, including hot and cold tubs and ultrasound, to stimulate healing of his turf toe injury, typically a painful malady.
Wide receiver Stephen Hill and A-back Roddy Jones were held out of practice for the second day in a row, but both expected to return to practice Wednesday and play. Guard Will Jackson practiced but was kept out of contact drills.
(The fact that Smith may be hampered is, obviously, noteworthy. Bears watching.)
3. Hal Miller, an All-American offensive tackle and a co-captain of Tech’s 1952 national championship team, died Monday following a short illness. He was 81.
In 1952, Miller helped lead the Jackets to a 12-0 record and a Sugar Bowl win over Mississippi, giving them the titled awarded by the International News Service. Born in Kingsport, Tenn., Miller was enshrined in the Georgia Tech, Georgia and Tennessee sports halls of fame.
The school is working on a tribute to honor both Miller and legendary Georgia play-by-play voice Larry Munson, who died Sunday, at Saturday’s game.
(While it’s sad news, I do hope that both are honored before the game.)
4. Hill is friends with one Georgia player he’ll likely see plenty on Saturday, cornerback Branden Smith. The two hung out last summer, Hill said. They played each other in high school and Hill played basketball and long jumped against another Georgia corner, Brandon Boykin.
“They’re real fast,” Hill said. “Their technique is great, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
5. Defensive coordinator Al Groh on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray:
“He’s certainly as good as we’ve seen. We compare him and his skill level to (Clemson quarterback) Tajh Boyd. He moves very well within the pocket as well as getting out. … He’s always got his feet underneath his shoulders. He re-sets very quickly. He makes a lot of big throws when the rush initially makes him move off his normal throwing spot without leaving the pocket.”
(One thing I appreciate about Groh: No player assessment will ever be, “Kid’s got a rocket for an arm.”)
6. Wide receiver Tyler Melton has been playing his best football the past two or three games, Johnson said. Melton has seven catches in the past three games for 122 yards, including three for 54 yards against Duke. The seven receptions are more than he had in any of his first three seasons and as many receptions as he had in the first eight games of this season. He has also blocked particularly well over that stretch.
Johnson said he’s not making a concerted effort to get Melton the ball, “but when the ball’s gone his way, he’s made a couple of nice catches and come down with it.”
(Melton has shown some nice ability to adjust for passes. I have no idea what his draft stock is, but he’s shown plenty of other skills – namely blocking ability and special teams play. If he can keep up his pass catching, he’ll hopefully get a shot in somebody’s camp. Remember that Kevin Cone – who caught six passes last year – fought his way onto the Falcons practice squad.)
7. Tuesday, Johnson dismissed an Internet report that Mississippi had contacted representatives for Johnson regarding its coaching opening.
“I don’t know anything about it,” he said. “That stuff’s crazy.”
I want to thank the posters who have kept things clean and respectful, for the most part. I was very tempted to not post the notes on the blog, because this seems like a fire waiting to happen, but decided that you deserved a chance to comment on it. If the posts aren’t respectful, however, I’ve got no problem closing commenting, and probably for the rest of the week. Please don’t be the bad apple that spoils it for everyone.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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422 comments Add your comment
Hit a Single
November 23rd, 2011
8:52 am
Oh that is on the way out, we need to get their money first.
JB
November 23rd, 2011
8:52 am
@8:49…” coach Johnson is sorry”…………………………….don’t think so.He’s only sorry someone called him on it.
old gold and white in my veins
November 23rd, 2011
8:53 am
The real irony is that Wal-Mar’s ceo is a tech grad.
mwh6767
November 23rd, 2011
8:54 am
Love people like Gorilla, they call people out for having no class but yet what is the first thing they do? Call someone names(Clown Prince of North Ave.), word of wisdom Gorilla, doing so makes you no better than the person you are judging and also reserves you that same ticket sir.
mwh6767
November 23rd, 2011
8:57 am
Let’s not forget the Coach Fishfry or the making fun of his “appearance”. Way to stay classy Gorilla, its obvious that you are an authority on the subject.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
8:59 am
Yeah, I know, it’s not quite as snappy as Coach Suntan.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:02 am
Thanks mwh6767. I’m one of the ugliest and scariest people you’d ever want to meet. However, I don’t poke fun of those who can’t, and wouldn’t even if they could, defend themselves.
mwh6767
November 23rd, 2011
9:02 am
Typical , now Gorilla is going to justify his holier than thou stance with the ” You called my coach a name first”. How old are we gorilla??
Hit a Single
November 23rd, 2011
9:03 am
Man I heard Larry the Cable guy may be there Saturday and he is going to open up a can of whip tail.
dawgfan
November 23rd, 2011
9:04 am
This is all real cute and fun Tech fans, but when Saturday comes you’re going to be facing a defensive line that goes about 2 deep with guys that on average have 20 or 30 lbs on your offensive line. You’re going to be facing 6′ 3″, 240 lb linebackers that can run like a gazelle and play the game like they want to kill someone. I’m not making any predictions but I really don’t think you understand what your up against.
I guess we’ll see how big Johnson’s mouth is after the game. I’ll just leave it at that.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:05 am
And the last time I saw a GT shirt at Walmart it had a dried booger stuck on it.
crackbaby
November 23rd, 2011
9:06 am
Enter your comments here
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:07 am
Old enough to know better but too damn old to care.
mwh6767
November 23rd, 2011
9:08 am
Well, that settles it, Gorilla saw a booger on a tech shirt. Shut the program down, heck shut the school down, how can they both continue on after that happened. Keep going Gorilla you just make yourself look sillier and sillier.
Burdell
November 23rd, 2011
9:10 am
JB and Gorilla Biscuit must be under the assumption that someone on this blog actually values their opinions.
Hit a Single
November 23rd, 2011
9:11 am
Class, what is class? It is something that very few care about in this country now. Watch college football on Saturday and pro football on Sunday and you talk about a lack of class. Oh yea and our society loves it as long as we are winning.
Burdell
November 23rd, 2011
9:11 am
Who do you think put that booger on the shirt Gorilla…? The stocker that bleeds red and black.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:12 am
mwh6767, get over yourself, and get down off your high horse.
mwh6767
November 23rd, 2011
9:12 am
Here’s an idea, Gorilla. Cheer for your team, they’ve had a great year. Be proud of you wife, for working with special needs children. I volunteer with them here in my hometown. And when it comes to something that has to do with another team say I don’t care, not my team. I don’t go to the uga blogs, when bad things happen at uga I don’t feel the need to try to be the moral authority. Try it, you just might find a little more relaxing, and more adult.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:14 am
Burdell, everybody in this state, save the enclave on North Ave., bleeds Red and Black.
GT
November 23rd, 2011
9:14 am
I like Richt kissing his wife the other day or whatever happened that day. Gives his a different look from the preachy guy that then encourages his players to knock somebody’s head off. He reminds me of Johnny Depp as he wonders across the field after the Kentucky game.
As for CPJ the world could use a dozen more like him. When a guy is shooting it straight he is not always making friends. Real people don’t need to guard their mouths as much, they walk the walk so why guard the talk. If that is what you want you should have gone into politics or been an actor on Leave it to Beaver named Eddie. I bet Penn State wish they had a coach that, “gave you what you see is what you get.” Johnson is not bitter at the world he has no ax to grind, he is an open book that is not trying to change his personality to hide his real self. I like the guy, and will like him even more if we beat Georgia, but no matter he has his stick together and Tech is clearly a better place with him there.
Hit a Single
November 23rd, 2011
9:14 am
Well I have had all the fun I can have on this. But I do want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all Dawg and Jacket fans, all Wal Mart employees and especially our armed forces. Thank you for Serving and Protecting and for doing it in such a professional way. Happy Thanksgiving!
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:16 am
Good, Old-fashioned, HATE!
r2 bee2
November 23rd, 2011
9:19 am
Why is everyone giving the coach a hard time without mentioning the jerk that started the situation. Shouldn’t he be given credit for being a classless, stupid coward?
Spike
November 23rd, 2011
9:22 am
Should we cancel the ring order this year? CPJ must have thought beating UGA and A SEC team a couple of years ago was a big deal.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:22 am
Yes he should. Bad Dawg!!
Yellow Fuzz
November 23rd, 2011
9:23 am
Barking fans are the AH’s I speak about. Many georgia fans are cool. Some are over the top like this idiot. I only wish Coach Johnson could have encountered LOOOOOZER’s like this in public instead of over the phone or internet. They deserved to be cold koched. They give retarded people a bad name.
let me get this straight...
November 23rd, 2011
9:24 am
walmart employees are insulted that cpj would infer that walmart would stoop so low as to actually hire a uga fan/grad to work there? ouch. just goes to show folks how little people think of uga/grads and their fan base. maybe it is because uga fans are renowned for the bathroom etiquette or lack there of.
you uga fans slay me!
The Truth
November 23rd, 2011
9:24 am
What a “whimp” country this has become. Everybody has to apologize to everybody for everything.
RambleOn84
November 23rd, 2011
9:25 am
Funny that people bring up how “classy” Richt is. Let’s get a transcript of the conferences where these quotes were taken out of context.
Richt gets questions along the lines of: “Can your team stay focused against this lesser opponent when your team is playing a huge game the next weekend?”
Johnson gets questions along the lines of: “Can you possibly keep up with this juggernaut SEC team?”
Of course Richt plays up his opponent, and of course Johnson downplays his opponent. It’s the correct course of action to keep your team focused in both circumstances.
As for Johnson’s comments to an obnoxious dork on the call-in show, does anyone remember Richt biting the head off of one of his own supporters before the year?
But people will believe what they want to believe. Same old song and dance.
GT70
November 23rd, 2011
9:25 am
@GT
I bet Penn State wish they had a coach that, “gave you what you see is what you get.”
I’m afraid that’s what Penn State got too much of.
richt kissing his wife
November 23rd, 2011
9:28 am
is akin to michelle bachman’s husband kissing her.
robodawg
November 23rd, 2011
9:29 am
That’s alright CPJ. I apologize for our classless fan interrupting your radio show.
Looking forward to a hardfought meeting on the flats.
GTJason
November 23rd, 2011
9:30 am
Wow, RETARDED is not slang. True, it’s used as a generalization but it makes it no less accurate. It is a level used in psychology of persons having an IQ of less than 70. The median IQ in the US is 100 meaning half the people in the US have double digit IQs. Chances are there are a lot of retarded people who don’t even know it and that guy was one of them.
hey gorilla biscuit
November 23rd, 2011
9:31 am
‘And the last time I saw a GT shirt at Walmart it had a dried booger stuck on it.’
so we tech fans want to know…. did you save if for lunch? or did you just not carry a hankerchief with you?
Born2Buzz
November 23rd, 2011
9:31 am
If he had simply said “mentally challenged” instead of “retarded” all would be OK.
Stereotypes exist for a reason.
Freddy Blassie
November 23rd, 2011
9:31 am
Glad someone remembered that the head honcho at Walmart is a Georgia Tech alumnus.
While I’m on the subject, Mr. Head Walmart Honcho, get some GT stuff in the store! There is too much red and black stuff in there. After Saturday all that red and black stuff will be on the sale racks in the parking lot.
PLEASE
November 23rd, 2011
9:32 am
Mark Richt adopted a special needs child, so I really doubt if he would ever be so blind to the hurtfulness of a comment like this. As for the GT fans taking up for CPJ on this it really shows your lack of class.
If your team finshes 8-5 I bet the amount of supporters for CPJ will drop very quickly.
2HellwithGA
November 23rd, 2011
9:34 am
Please go to YouTube and check out Humans versus Zombies Georgia Tech!
AP
November 23rd, 2011
9:34 am
PJ you’re an a–hole and deserve to be kicked in the mouth!!!!!!
2011THWG!!
November 23rd, 2011
9:36 am
If you listen to the actual footage and not read it then you would know that he was joking, but I’m not a coach for Tech and I can say that a large majority of UGAG fans do work at Wal-mart and are mentally challenged!!!!!
T3
November 23rd, 2011
9:36 am
Attention: Hit a Single.
It is a well-known/well-publicized fact that the high-tech video presentation
developed EXCLUSIVELY by GT was the DECIDING FACTOR in Atlanta
getting the 1996 Olympics. That was acknowledged by no less than Billy Payne himself.
It was that presentation that gave a graphical/video outline of the city and all of the
to-be-developed venues that was the critical component to winning th 1996 Olympics.
Without that custom-developed software/video presentation which was created by GT software engineers, then Atlant doesnt even make it to the 3rd round of voting.
That is a FACT publicly acknowledged by no less than BIlly Payne himself.
Yellow Fever
November 23rd, 2011
9:38 am
This is why Tech is the greatest college
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6-VX1K8Ok
old gold and white in my veins
November 23rd, 2011
9:40 am
Freddie,
Not sure were you are located, but the Wal-Mart off of 75 and Howell Mill has a huge selection of Tech gear. And the only thing you’ll find in red and black will have a falcon on it.
GOJacketsMD
November 23rd, 2011
9:40 am
Someone needs to remind CPJ that the CEO of Walmart is GT alum Mike Duke IE Major, class of ‘71.
juvenal
November 23rd, 2011
9:41 am
i’m sure he meant socially retarded……everybody knows you get better deals on Tech gear at t j maxx……
GT
November 23rd, 2011
9:43 am
GT70 now that was funny!
johnsonisaplaygroundbully
November 23rd, 2011
9:43 am
Johnson doesn’t owe anyone an apology.
The caller was an immature kid and apparently, so is Johnson. Where did Johnson go to school? Western South Carolina State?
Good luck Tech. You’re going to need it on Saturday.
old gold and white in my veins
November 23rd, 2011
9:44 am
r2 bee2,
I’m sure that guy is getting tons of love on the UGA blogs for the hero that he is.
RedandBlackDawg
November 23rd, 2011
9:46 am
Just more bulletin board material as if UGA needed any to beat Tech. The only thing that matters Saturday is who wins the game and moves on. All the comments about SEC this, ACC that, don’t matter a squat. It is UGA versus Tech. and the records speak for themselves. If Tech. has the team to stop UGA, bring it on, because no matter what the coaches say, or don’t say, not a one of them, is going to strap it on, and take the hits and physical beating that comes with playing football. I could care less what CPJ says, because it is up to him to find a way to beat UGA. If he thinks responding to an over zealous fan by insulting Walmart employees or people with learning disabilities let him have at it. In the end, when you get your butt handed to you, whether you win by 1 point or 40, a win is a win. The last ten years the record stands at 9-1 in favor of UGA. There are no minor or moral victories on the football field. You lose, and that’s it. The statistics in the series through the last decade show what team has left the field victorious the great majority of the time.
See you on Saturday.
GO DAWGS and GATA