Archive for the ‘Doug Roberson’ Category

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PUBLIC INFRACTIONS REPORT
July 14, 2011
A. INTRODUCTION.
On Friday, April 15, 2011, officials from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the former head men’s basketball coach, accompanied by his legal counsel, appeared before the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions to address allegations of NCAA violations in the football and men’s basketball programs. This case was very troubling to the committee in a number of respects. Because the committee finds violations of both the cooperative principal (Bylaws 19.01.3 and 32.1.4) and the conditions and obligations of membership (Bylaws 3.2.4.3 and 14.11.1), this case provides a cautionary tale of conduct that member institutions should avoid while under investigation for violations of NCAA rules. Rather than fulfill its requirements under NCAA bylaws, Georgia Tech failed to cooperate in an apparent effort to avoid potential allegations of rules violations, thereby eliminating the …

Continue reading Read the NCAA’s public report »

Georgia Tech was fined $100,000 by the NCAA, stripped of its 2009 ACC championship in football and placed on four years of probation on Thursday for failure to cooperate with its investigation into the football and men’s basketball programs.

Those weren’t the only penalties, which stemmed from what the NCAA described as an isolated instance of former standout  wide receiver Demaryius Thomas allegedly receiving $312 in impermissible gifts, and grew to Morgan Burnett allegedly taking gifts and misleading NCAA investigators. Both have denied taking improper benefits.

In addition, more penalties were self-imposed and accepted by the NCAA:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Four years of probation from July 14, 2011 through July 13, 2015. The public report further details the conditions of this probation.
• A reduction of two men’s basketball recruiting days during the 2011 summer evaluation period (self-imposed by the university).
• A limit of 10 official visits for men’s …

Continue reading Thomas, Burnett at heart of NCAA investigation at Tech »

The NCAA will announce the results of an investigation into alleged violations committed by Georgia Tech’s football program at 3 p.m. today.

The alleged violations occurred within the past several years. The NCAA considers the violations, which included improper benefits, minor. However, Tech allegedly didn’t cooperate with the investigators as enthusiastically as the NCAA would have liked. A phone conference is scheduled with Dennis Thomas, the chair of the NCAA’s infractions committee, at 3 p.m. Georgia Tech President Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Athletic Director Dan Radakovich will hold a press conference at 4:30 p.m.

At issue for Tech is that after receiving penalties for the 2005 and ‘06 seasons for infractions that occurred in the 1990s, the NCAA said that if Tech commits another major infraction before Nov. 17, 2010, it will be subject to added penalties as a repeat violator. Colleague Mark Bradley (@markbradleyajc) just tweeted, “I’m told nobody is getting fired, but …

Continue reading NCAA will announce Tech findings at 3 p.m.; Cooperation an issue; Thomas, Burnett deny involvement »

Georgia Tech will host Duke at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, the ACC announced today.
The game will be broadcast on espn3.com. It will be Tech’s regular-season conference finale.
The Yellow Jackets, which lost to Virginia Tech, are hosting Miami this weekend.

Continue reading Tech-Duke game time set »

Cooper Taylor has quit Georgia Tech’s football team.

Taylor was once one of the team’s top safeties, starting the season opener against South Carolina State. But in recent weeks his role has been reduced to the point that he barely played in the win against Virginia.

“Cooper met with me earlier this week and indicated that he plans to transfer,” coach Paul Johnson said in a statement. “I wish nothing but the best for him at whatever school he chooses.”

A graduate of the Marist School in Atlanta, Taylor was mostly recruited by Georgia Tech and Virginia. Taylor’s father, Jim Bob, quarterbacked Tech in the early 1980s. Phone calls to their house weren’t returned. Cooper didn’t return an email message.

Johnson was asked on Sunday why Taylor was no longer playing as much and he said that other players were performing better. He had five tackles this season.

After a promising freshman year, which included him making a game-saving play in the win against Florida State when he caused …

Continue reading Cooper Taylor no longer on team »

One brought home a painting from Haiti.

The other two brought home a wooden giraffe from Namibia.

Three Georgia Tech athletes spent part of their summer vacation learning that happiness doesn’t always come from having.

The giraffe the volleyball players bought in Namibia.

After seeing children in Africa wearing the same clothes day after day, or others in the Caribbean whose stomachs were distended because of malnourishment, football player Chris Tanner and volleyball players Jordan McCullers and Alison Campbell learned that sometimes contentedness can be found in difficult circumstances.

—

The hard part was when McCullers and Campbell had to tell some children that they were out of food.

Several days a week for a month, they drove from McCullers’ brother’s home to a youth center in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, to prepare food in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet for the 200-400 children that would show up each day.

One of the children, just 5 years old, would come …

Continue reading Two trips that changed three Georgia Tech athletes »

Georgia Tech safety Mario Edwards has a unique perspective on the new 3-4 defense.

Lined up in the secondary, with most of his teammates in front of him, Edwards says before the snap there is a lot of organized confusion, with his teammates darting back and forth as they try to confuse the offense.

And then at the snap, “everything comes together like a painting.”

To make the brush strokes disappear takes a lot of communication, Edwards said.

Middle linebacker Brad Jefferson relays the call, or calls, for the defense. One they see the offensive formation, Edwards said he may make some adjustments for the secondary players on his side of the field.

The defense is predicated on everyone knowing each other’s roles, but when the ball is snapped secondary coach Charles Kelly said everyone should focus only on what they are supposed to do.

Tech worked on installing the base plays during the spring. Defensive coordinator Al Groh has worked on fine-tuning those plays, and also working …

Continue reading Sunday in the books »

Perhaps nothing illustrates the depth of this year’s Georgia Tech team better than looking at the offensive line that started in the Orange Bowl:

Down to seven players because of injury, one starter began his career as a tight end before moving to the line, one started as an A-back and one was a walk-on defensive lineman.

This year’s offensive line has four guards who could start, four tackles who could start and two centers. No position on the line, not even at center where Sean Bedford, the former walk-on who was All-ACC last year, is safe, according to coach Paul Johnson.

There is depth, not only on the line, but at every position. Other than at quarterback with Joshua Nesbitt and middle linebacker with Brad Jefferson, Rose Bowl field will be the proving ground for more than 100 players scratching for playing time.

“We’ve got pretty good competition at most every position,” Johnson said. “That usually makes you better.”

The depth has been accumulated by redshirting many of …

Continue reading Tech’s depth has Johnson hopeful »

From Nick Claytor, who took time to answer the questions that you posted on the blog a few days ago.

I’ll exit, stage right.

Mr. Claytor, you have the floor…

This season marks the third year in the Paul Johnson era for Georgia Tech. We have had a lot of success coming off an 11-win season and an ACC Championship. This offseason we have dedicated ourselves to getting bigger, stronger, and faster in order to push for an even better season. With that being said the AJC has given me a chance to answer questions from you all. Thank you for the questions and we hope to see your full support this season! Go Jackets

Nick, how do you feel the competition for starting positions on the OL will be this fall at camp? Will a lot of the new guys be pushing for playing time?

It will be fierce, competitive, and make us a better line overall. I feel the spring really brought out the best in the O-line, these guys want to get on the field and stay there.

Hey Nick! Fans are always hearing coaches …

Continue reading Nick Claytor answers your questions »

Former Georgia Tech greata Randy Rhino was announced on Tuesday as an inductee to the ACC Legends class. The induction ceremony will be the week of the championship game in Charlotte in December.

A defensive back and punt-returner, Rhino was a three-time All-American from 1972-74. He had 14 interceptions, the second-most in Tech’s history. He once returned a punt a school-record 96 yards for a touchdown.

Rhino took a few minutes to talk about his playing career at Tech (questions and answers have been paraphrased):

On being named as an ACC Legend:

A legend…always means your old, doesn’t it?

On the differences between the school then and now:

I can still visualize the way it was when I was here.

We are standing in an area [in the Edge Center] that was the old swimming pool or the old gym. The AA was the gray building up the hill.

The old locker rooms are up under the stadium. The ghost of Sarge is running around down there. Sarge was our equipment guy in the 70s.

I can …

Continue reading Randy Rhino talks about being an ACC legend »