Tech coach Spencer resigns over rules violations
Georgia Tech co-offensive line coach Todd Spencer has resigned. Spencer offered his resignation in the midst of a school investigation into numerous text messages to recruits that he had sent in violation of NCAA rules.
“I find it inexplicable that an employee would violate these rules with regard to text messaging after our ongoing focus to educate our personnel on NCAA rules and regulations,” athletic director Dan Radakovich said in a statement. “Actions of this type simply are not acceptable in our programs and will not be tolerated.”
NCAA rules limit electronic communication between coaches and prospects or their parents or guardians to e-mail and faxes. Other forms, such as text messaging and instant messaging, are not allowed.
Monitoring software caught the violation Jan. 12, and Spencer was placed on administrative leave the following day. The athletic department has been in a state of high alert in matters of NCAA rules compliance since being placed on probation after findings of failure to cooperate and failure to meet the conditions and obligations of NCAA membership in an investigation into possible impermissible benefits violations to two former football players. The school notified the NCAA immediately following the discovery of the violations.
Spencer offered his resignation Jan. 27. Prior to that, Tech coach Paul Johnson had recommended to Radakovich that Spencer be fired. In the letter, obtained by the AJC through a Georgia Open Record Request, Johnson said he found Spencer’s actions “troubling and inconsistent with the expectations I have for our staff.”
“There is no need to put our program in further jeopardy,” Johnson wrote.
The matter is not expected to affect the school’s appeal to the NCAA sanctions, the verdict of which is likely to be released soon. It is unclear, however, if Tech’s probationary status would impact the degree of any sort of penalty levied by the NCAA for Spencer’s texting violation. The investigation is ongoing.
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169 comments Add your comment
George Stein
February 1st, 2012
4:37 pm
Semantics, but it’s still a violation.
Supersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
4:38 pm
Let’s just go ahead and go Div. II
old dog
February 1st, 2012
4:45 pm
I know I’ll get laughed at ‘coz I’m a dog, but the rules are so dumb now that ANYONE could break them if the NCAA said they did! They’ve rooked ya’ll out of an EARNED championship. I feel for ya’ll…..somebody over there musta made the wrong person mad….and even us dogs know the NCAA needs re-vamping!
Go Jackets!
February 1st, 2012
4:45 pm
Old dog, that’s a good one. LOL
ld
February 1st, 2012
4:45 pm
Kevin, you won’t be able to comment much longer. With the heavy rain, I am sure the internet in your trailer will go out
Jacket Grad Dad
February 1st, 2012
4:45 pm
OK guys, what’s it going to take to have a string of two good things to happen in a row to GT athletics???? It’s getting that I dread reading the AJC (online only) to hear more negative press! I love my Jackets, but this is getting embarrassing and frustrating.
Sounds like this needed to be handled, but good grief – give us fans a break!!!
DRad, what’s going on with GT athletics???? Are you in control? On a day when we should be celebrating a new crop of Jackets, we are left with this cr#p!
Ken Sugiura
February 1st, 2012
4:46 pm
George – Yes. As I understand it, Spencer could not have been fired without Johnson’s recommendation.
Go Jackets!
February 1st, 2012
4:48 pm
Old dog, I was referring to the post about “sleeping bees”. I laughed out loud.
Skitty Fritty
February 1st, 2012
4:51 pm
GT Cheating? What else is new.
I'm flying a ..... Georgia Tech flag right now
February 1st, 2012
4:53 pm
hire the ‘fridge’
Jan Kemp
February 1st, 2012
4:57 pm
superDawg
So, why are you here? Tell us.
old dog
February 1st, 2012
4:59 pm
@ Go Jackets,
Yep, there’s old dog (me) Old Dog, and Old Dawg floatin’ ’round on these blogs! I’m so damn old that even though I was a UGA fan, we came to some Tech games to see Brent Cunningham play! (Good Lord….I am old!)
for skitty fritty
February 1st, 2012
5:00 pm
UGA, number 11 on NCAA Cheating Hall of Fame
February 1st, 2012
4:17 pm
Source: ncaa.org (NCAA Legislative Database of major infractions)
BuzzBelle
February 1st, 2012
5:01 pm
I appreciate CPJ and D Rad towing the line on this. Timing is not great but we don’t need any player, coach or assistant not following the rules, even the stupid ones. And this one is stupid. Email vs. texting, can anybody get the NCAA to admit they are both communication and both can be traced. So why is one OK and the other isn’t?
BDawg
February 1st, 2012
5:09 pm
tech–even with a bunch of cheating, they still can’t sign top players. Their recruiting class–a total bust! UGA owns the state!
Brad N Tucker
February 1st, 2012
5:29 pm
Just like w/ the NCAA probation ( the loss of the Almost College Conference title )
Techmites wait til late in the day so it will get short play in the news .
Everything on the Flats is just CandyLand!!!
Why was full fledged NCAA investigation unreported by the AJC (Atlanta Jacket Constitution ) FOR HOW MANY MONTHS ? ? ? ?
Local rag has long history of hiding anything negative re: Tech :
REMEMBER the SpringBreak (local dive bar in that crime ridden area surrounding Tech) Beating circa early 1990s. Thats right when 3 Tech players beat a GIRL
to pulp. WOULDN’T even make the news but,, OOOPPPSSS they also beat the crap out of an UNDERCOVER COP ! ! ! Cop was on duty at the time — tells you something about where the Total Person likes to hang out .
The AJC did not even PRINT the story until 2 days AFTER it was covered by local TV. Just one example.
NCAA investigation filled w/ obfuscation, self-delusion and arrogance.
Three hallmarks of Bill Curry’s Total Person enduring legacy. “WE WILL BRING THE CHEATERS TO THEIR KNEES ” — Bill Curry. Time to get some knee pads Techmites. AJC has a surplus ! ! !
With Tech it’s always going to be not what we know, it’s what we haven’t heard….
Stumpknocker
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Shove it up your exhaust pipe “4th Rate”
Mike
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Will you take mike bobo we would gladly offer him to yall’
MR the Hypocrite
February 1st, 2012
5:38 pm
Its so easy to lure UGA fans onto a website (usually just takes something that flashes) and then let them show off their IQ of 44. The AJC really ought to stop it because it borders on abuse of the mentally ill
Punctuate Much?
February 1st, 2012
5:43 pm
“The athletic department has been in a state of high alert in matters of NCAA rules compliance since being placed on probation after findings of failure to cooperate and failure to meet the conditions and obligations of NCAA membership in an investigation into possible impermissible benefits violations to two former football players.” TL:DR
DS_GT91
February 1st, 2012
5:45 pm
A relatively minor thing, to be sure, and quickly handled. But I am still getting mighty tired of having to read about this stuff at my alma mater…..
BillS
February 1st, 2012
5:49 pm
I’m a UGA fan, and I don’t like this at all. It could happen anywhere because the NCAA is inconsistent, selective and pretty much an arrogant bunch of rulesmakers. I don’t quarrel with the decision to fire Spencer, but the root of all of this lies not at Tech or with specific coaches but with the ruling body.
1 4 GT
February 1st, 2012
6:05 pm
The NCAA created this rule when everyone had to pay a texting fee and they did not want the recruits to caught up in having to pay the fees. They have bbe slow in fixing this now that it is pretty much free/
for all ol you who are
February 1st, 2012
6:06 pm
are not happy with recruiting at gt consider this
year in an year out we probably average around 45-50 on recruiting lists by school.
year in an year out we end up being rated anywhere from 20-35.
as i see it that means we are coaching our players up or identifying the talent better than 20-25 teams that finish below us.
on the other hand we have uga that over the last 10 years averaged no 3 on recruiting lists by school.
gt’s 50 and 25 vs
uga 3 and 10
i think that we are doing well considering the talent we have had to work with,
George Stein
February 1st, 2012
6:06 pm
Thanks, Ken.
for all ol you who are
February 1st, 2012
6:08 pm
that should read…..
year in an year out we end up being ranked anywhere from 20-35.at seasons end.
Woofy One
February 1st, 2012
6:09 pm
@Jan Kemp. You did us a huge favor and most appreciate it. CPJ did what he should have done with a hug from D Rad. If the alums with money will let go a little the program will get better.
sec fan
February 1st, 2012
6:09 pm
Cheating while on probation? Can we say stupid?
SansWorld
February 1st, 2012
6:10 pm
I suspect insubordination by Spencer lead to termination in this case.
I imagine CPJ had warned him about this. He chose not to comply
1 4 GT
February 1st, 2012
6:12 pm
should read—-to “get” caught——————————————should read—- have “been” slow
beanster
February 1st, 2012
6:21 pm
Interesting that it was monitoring software that caught him. I wonder if he was aware that such software was in use? Had to have been an app that he would have known was installed on his phone, no?
NCAA Probation Board
February 1st, 2012
6:22 pm
See you guys again next week. I assume our usual offices will be ready.
Supersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
6:35 pm
I see my poser is back again today. The post at 4:38PM was NOT made by me. Ken, isn’t there something that can be done about that? I know you can’t, but this is the 21st century, and I KNOW there is somebody at the AJC who is smart enough to control these blogs.
superDawg
February 1st, 2012
6:46 pm
supersize why do you think you have the right to control other people.You must be one hell of a liberal.
Supersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
6:52 pm
superDawg, I am NOT a liberal at all, and who said I want to control other people. I want to protect my “name” from being falsely used with untrue words attributed to me. What would you think if you read on a regular basis what I am about to do in the following post……..
superDawg
February 1st, 2012
6:53 pm
Oh, how I long to see Mark Richt in the buff……He is SOOOO HOT !!!! OMG, I want him so bad
SUpersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
6:54 pm
OK, superDawg, wouldn’t you want somebody to do something about that? If you say you don’t care, then you are LYING
Really?
February 1st, 2012
6:57 pm
supersize
I knew that comment made too much sense to be yours. Thank you for clarifying.
SUpersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
6:59 pm
Thanks, Really?
Supersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
7:00 pm
Oops, when I put my name on my latest posts, I capitalized the “u”. I fixed that now. LOL
Really?
February 1st, 2012
7:01 pm
Ken should ban the posters who used supersize and superDawg’s names. It’s the only fair and just thing to do.
BTW my pity for the trade school is still keeping me from kicking their program during this all time low which will more than likely get even worse.
Supersize that order, mutt
February 1st, 2012
7:04 pm
Really? I used superDawg’s name in the 6.53 post in the hopes that he might comprehend why I asked Ken to do something about my poser. That was only an example for him to see, since he said that I want to control what others do. I don’t want to control anybody; I just want my name protected, as I am sure superDawg does too, whether he is willing to admit it or not.
Ghost
February 1st, 2012
7:18 pm
Tech can’t get a break, violating rules for this class?
5150 UOAD
February 1st, 2012
7:42 pm
Get ready for Bulldog, BAMA, Ga TECH or any teams Spring football.
http://www.atlantahaulitallinc.com/Bird_Houses.php
Columbus
February 1st, 2012
7:43 pm
What he did wrong was to BLATANTLY break NCAA regulations at a school who has recently been in trouble and has FULLY educated the coaches as to what they cannot do. This guy was blatantly and purposely cheating.
He should go to Auburn where they will teach him how to cheat without getting caught……
And NO this could not happen at any school. He sent MANY messages. There were no accidents or just a “couple”. UGA dont take no crap. That is why there is so much news, Athens police and UGA does the right thing unlike in other cities(Auburn)and hold ALL players accountable. You can pull UGA into this all you want but UGA is trying to do it right and do not try to sweep things under the rug for any player. It is what it is. The Athens police WILL arrest ANY of the players and not just take them to the coach(Auburn & Bama)if it is not something major. They get held accountable for the little things too. That is why you hear so much about UGA players. That and nobody really cares about Tech as much as UGA so ther are more UGA readers and therefore it is more news. Even when it is small. All schools ahve bad apples and sometimes it comes in bunches. When it does you correct it(unlike Auburn) and become better. You ahve to give Richt some slack. He is a FIRST time head coach and is LEARNING as he goes and also he came from FLA ST. He wasnt really taught well how to discipline players there. FLA ST. That says it all….He is learning and he has made changes. Enough said.
Norton
February 1st, 2012
7:46 pm
How can the NCAA sanction anyone after the Miami scandal with only a slap on the hand
sapelodawg
February 1st, 2012
7:47 pm
Wish Georgia had Coach Johnson; maybe we could get rid of Bobo
Ghost
February 1st, 2012
8:01 pm
Sapelo, Bobo can recruit.
Really?
February 1st, 2012
8:06 pm
5150
Slinging those birdhouses again? I won’t rehash the problems I had getting my money refunded after you failed to send my nephew his birdhouse but I will say. LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!!
Also I always knew you were still at the kool aid bar and this proves it. LOL LOL LOL Things are REALLY bad for you right now huh? Ouch!!!!
snellville jacket
February 1st, 2012
8:14 pm
Tech fires the coach for violation, Georgia’s HC, violates and still there; guess UGA fans short memories and able throw those stones.