Richt’s words, actions haven’t changed ugliness at Georgia
HOOVER, Ala. — Mark Richt says he has “really enjoyed this summer.”
Given that seven of his players have been arrested, three have been kicked out of the program, another transferred after being suspended for half the season, his boss was arrested for a DUI and ultimately was forced to resign and the NCAA just phoned to announce their impending arrival in Athens, we’re left to wonder: Just how low does Richt set the bar for his summers?
Mark Richt has had a tumultuous summer. (AP photo by Butch Dill)
Or has he just become used to this sort of thing?
“It’s like, you know [something is] gonna happen,” he said Thursday morning. “It’s just like a ballgame. You know there’s going to be a penalty or a turnover, even though you don’t want there to be. Now you have to decide: How are you going to react to that? You can lose your cool and start spouting things you wish you didn’t say. Or you can just take care of the issue and move forward. That’s what I try to do.”
Problem being: It’s not working.
We can go round and round about how players are individuals who make individual choices (sometimes dumb ones). We can talk about how a coach, who has given a thousand speeches and made a thousand threats, may be on a remote tropical island while his quarterback is drinking himself into oblivion and groping a woman in a small-town bar. But does it really matter?
Whether Richt is saying the right or wrong things, or recruiting the right or wrong players, or setting the right or wrong tone, this is his program. He knows that. Anything that happens, whether it’s a stirring win in Tuscaloosa or an ugly arrest in Remerton, reflects on him.
Right now, the ugliness reflects on Mark Richt.
When he met with a small group of media members Thursday, prior to his main news conference at SEC media days, Richt was typically calm and cordial, even as a storm swirled around the program. Some would say that’s one of his strengths, not seeming like he’s going to put his fist through a wall every time something goes wrong. The downside to that is it gives others the perception, whether accurate or not, that he’s either bringing in the wrong players or he’s not a strong enough disciplinarian when they get here.
Question: Do you get a sense that when Nick Saban walks into a locker room that every one of their players is just a little bit intimidated. If so, do you get that same sense with Richt?
“I’ve got a process of handling these situations and I think I do a good job of it,” Richt said, calmly.
He was asked if he has tightened restrictions on player, in light of the arrests this summer. He declined comment.
He was asked later about some media outlets having him on a “hot seat,” partly because of last season’s 4-4 conference record.
Insulted?
“Not really. I understand the business,” he said. “I don’t worry about it. My goal is to focus on the important things and the things I can control.”
Coaching at the same SEC school for 10 years will grow a man some thick skin.
“In the end, we’re still in process of educating young people: How to handle adversity and rebound from that,” Richt said. “[Former UGA linebacker] Dannell Ellerbe. He had an issue early in his career: a DUI and a car wreck. I said, ‘Look, what you did damaged your reputation and Georgia’s reputation. But it didn’t destroy it. It only destroys it if you let it destroy it. If you allow this to put you in the tank, then you’re probably not going to make it.’ He was on his last leg at Georgia. But he got his act together.”
He has had those success stories. But arrests and losses have a cumulative effect. To use Richt’s words, they can damage the reputation of a man and a school.
♦
Previous SEC/Georgia posts
♦ SEC media days: Waiting on Richt as NCAA hovers at Georgia
♦ NCAA inquiry is the last thing Georgia and Mark Richt need
♦ It’s no coincidence Saban suddenly is concerned about agents
♦ SEC media days: Hey, who let the BCS in here?
♦ We’re LIVE at SEC media days (with no shortage of storylines)
♦ NCAA reportedly investigating Florida (but temper excitement)
♦ Can Dogs end Alabama-Florida monopoly in SEC title game?
♦ Listen up, Ole Miss: I’ve got Colonel Reb’s replacement
♦
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713 comments Add your comment
d1reality
July 22nd, 2010
3:32 pm
Funny to see all the venom pointed at Shultz writing a balanced amd thought provoking article on this issue, and all the dawgs wanting to hang him.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck……..it is a duck.
If it looks dirty, acts dirty, and feels dirty…..its dirty. Hope uga gets what it desevres.
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:33 pm
Scooter would you call anything that has happened at UGA in the last few weeks pretty? I dont think any other adjective describes it better…its embarrassing and ugly. Spot on Jeff! Take off the red glasses people…UGA has some cleaning up to do.
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:34 pm
Where there are retards there you are? Is that what you’re saying? Very Buckaroo Banzai of you.
AJ tweets from S beach
July 22nd, 2010
3:34 pm
dese botles jus keep a comin. I ain’t neva seen so much licker bfo. I be livin large! sho hope none my peeps find out o my coach
I beg to differ sir
July 22nd, 2010
3:34 pm
Now, this is real ugliness. Whoever was this guy’s coach should be fired! http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/23874278/detail.html
d1delight
July 22nd, 2010
3:35 pm
I want to get what I desevres. Is that a dessert?
Bravo Indy
July 22nd, 2010
3:35 pm
The reason that Richt is constantly getting a pass on all this BS going on in Athens is because he plays the religion card when its needed and most of you dumba** Georgia fans fall for it.
Captain
July 22nd, 2010
3:35 pm
Schultz you are such a waste. If the number of arrests is the defining criteria for a football coach, Brian Kelly should be gone at Notre Dame today. In case you missed it Schultz, 11 – ELEVEN – ND football players were arrested last weekend. I suppose in your world the Apocalypse is on our doorsteps, hmmm?
Arrests for underage drinking, or not knowing how your middle name is listed in your Univ records, hardly rises to the level of felonies, bar brawls, possession of drugs, armed robbery, etc., that other schools have had with football players, or basketball players. Your constant attempts to trash the University of Georgia football program and Mark Richt are pathetic. As for Nick Saban walking in and intimidating a locker room, maybe so, maybe not, I’m left wondering if that is how you judge the quality of a coach. If so, then Jackie Sherril must be the greatest who ever strolled a sideline, hell the bulls headed for the hills when they saw Jackie I can only imagine how a 19 or 20 yr old must have felt knowing that same fate could befall him.
Mark Richt is fine, the Georgia program is fine, the underage consumption is not a reflection upon the character of the program.
Goal Posts
July 22nd, 2010
3:37 pm
The bleacher report compares Nick Saban’s displine style to Miami U.
Not real good.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11677-alabama-football-woes-nick-saban-brings-miami-mentality-to-tuscaloosa
Squire
July 22nd, 2010
3:37 pm
No this be Fugly
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=uga+football+felony&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:39 pm
Ha you guys show your class. I didn’t insult your program…just stated the facts. Its ugly…even my UGA friends are embarrassed….guess the blog makes you guys feel better. And Wiley Coyote…haven’t heard that once since elementary school…the real coyote is named Wylie…if you must know. You know somethings wrong when you have to resort to insults…you have no point to make.
shankit
July 22nd, 2010
3:39 pm
Based on this article,
WHEN DO WE FIRE OBAMA?
Dawg 89
July 22nd, 2010
3:39 pm
Jeff Schultz you are Soooooooooooo STUPID!
Mark Richt is a Great Coach and an even better person. You try to make a problem when there isn’t any problem. UGA has had some player arrested ,yes, but so has FSU, Notre Dame, UT, and probably every other college in the USA! Alcohol is consumed by college students all across america and even most high schools. Under age drinking is only a problem on college campuses because the legal drinking age is 21, not 18, like it should be. When the UGA players start beating up Cops at bars, then point the finger and say UGA has a problem! If it is such a slow news day, get in your car and go interview Coach Dooley at UT and ask him what he is going to do to Da’Rick Rogers legal issues, Now that would be news worthy.
squired
July 22nd, 2010
3:39 pm
Yep 3 UCLA players arrested for felonies, that’s bad.
dan
July 22nd, 2010
3:39 pm
Honestly,
Is anyone really surprised that players are getting arrested? Have ya’ll seen the gold grills, dreadlocks and tribal armband tatto’s these players are sporting? NCAA football has a thug element as part of the culture and has for the last 30-40 years. And unfortunately, you need some of those guys to win football games. Some of these kids come from some really poor places, and all of a sudden they are thrust into the spotlight with the world as their oyster. Craziness is bound to insue. PersonallY I think the NCAA is grasping at straws.
Goal Posts
July 22nd, 2010
3:40 pm
USA Today reporter uncovers Saban’s player Jimmy Johns busted selling drugs in a string of Arrests Under Nick Saban!
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/sec/2008-06-24-alabama-johns_N.htm
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
3:40 pm
Captin you are right CMR is fine I would kick the water girls butt to get some of that spry-on tan between my thighs.
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:40 pm
My point was that you are retarded, sorry to hit a sore spot. Now run home to mommy.
Spurrier’s lament: Team is better academically than on field | Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
3:41 pm
[...] ♦ Richt’s words, actions haven’t changed ugliness at Georgia [...]
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:42 pm
Psst its actually Wile E. Coyote, close enough for me ^^
d1reality
July 22nd, 2010
3:42 pm
I believe Jeff Schultz’s article sux, and I do too!
Goal Posts
July 22nd, 2010
3:42 pm
Saban’s player Upshaw didn’t fare too well a few months ago:
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=10961258
New Orleans Sam
July 22nd, 2010
3:43 pm
Jeff – drop the SH!T STICK and stop stirring the pot. I understand you do it only to draw the blog flies to the stink, but it is beneath even you and certainly beneath a once proud paper I used to enjoy reading. The hits here are not worth the readership you will lose due to doing such.
Paul Crewe
July 22nd, 2010
3:43 pm
Hey…we need some more thUGAs on our team to play the guards. AJ, go long!
heyberto
July 22nd, 2010
3:43 pm
Perhaps, Jeff, Richt is just good at keeping things in perspective and not allowing work related stuff to affect his personal life. So he enjoyed his downtime at home with his family. If there’s a cloud of negativity over the program, its the AJC sports columnists making sure its firmly swirling overhead with their constant berrating of anything Georgia.
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:44 pm
Right I am retarded if you say so haha. Great point. Anyway…your program is still ugly. Got anything that says otherwise? I am a student at GT who will graduate with honors in a few more semesters…you dont know me. But keep em coming…it shows how sad things are in dog land.
Win Now!
July 22nd, 2010
3:44 pm
Richt needs to win big this season—no more excuses, or he can hit the road.
Hill Town
July 22nd, 2010
3:45 pm
Rivals writer calls Saban “the most hated person in sports”
Ouch!
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Forbes-Nick-Saban-is-the-most-hated-white-man-i?urn=ncaaf-179913
Waterboy
July 22nd, 2010
3:45 pm
Mama says “Bravo Indy” is the Devil!
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
3:46 pm
last 24 hours in Athens 2 DUIs and 1 underage drinking no football players yet.
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:46 pm
It it spelled differently over the span of the show. In the beginning…I think it was spelled that way but later Wylie Coyote…with no middle name was on his mailbox. Anyway…I’m not named after a cartoon character. Not entirely sure who I am named after to be honest. Lets keep it on topic..your program is ugly. Great article Jeff….these people hate reading the truth about UGA.
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:47 pm
It is*
Matt
July 22nd, 2010
3:47 pm
Wow…what a hack writer you are. I really don’t know why I continue to read this fish wrapper. For a so called “sports columnist”(lol)one would think you would try to (1) stay informed on the real pulse in Athens, & (2) not be so jaded in your view of UGA…its always this negative crap that you regurgetate on this blog. Its blatantly obvious that you flame just to get page hits to try and stay relevant. YAWN…
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:47 pm
Congrats Tech is a fine school. It’s the wannabe Übermensch that consider themselves above and beyond mortal men that bring it down. Say hey to your drug dealing felons and good old Lil Joe smoking his weed or Hall bodyslamming his girlfriend….well you get the point. Your sh*t stinks too and some of us are smarter than you.
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:48 pm
So get it now Wile E?
Reap What You Sow
July 22nd, 2010
3:48 pm
CMR has to reap what he sows. You recruit a young man, athlete, with no morals and/or integrity and that is exactly what you get. UGA especially CMR has gotten so “tied up” into winning trying to beat Florida or whomever that they have failed to be selective in their recruiting process. CMR is failing to identify young men for his program that have the moral courage to do the right things.
UGLINESS is UGA FOOTBALL
July 22nd, 2010
3:48 pm
From the on the field play to the off the field arrests. It is one UGLY program.
Observer
July 22nd, 2010
3:50 pm
Wiley, Wylie, Willie, Wile, Whatever – If you’re an example of the Honors program at Tech, then Jeff should do an article stressing the ugliness of that program!
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:50 pm
That very well may be the case. I know every school has problems but UGA seems to have something big going down. I dealt with the crap after O’Leary left…now its your turn. Don’t give it if you can’t take it. In all seriousness I may end up at UGA for law school..if they give me enough money. But I will always be a Jacket…I take every chance I get to talk smack. What else is there to do during the off season.
Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
3:50 pm
Georgia87 — Interesting analogy with John Wooden. All I’ll say is times were different, obviously. Look, any way a guy can get it done, I’ll all for it, whether it’s being nice or mean, doesn’t matter.
wiley
July 22nd, 2010
3:51 pm
I’m not in the honors program…those kids are nerds. I am on track to graduate with honors…ie a 3.55 GPA or above. But thanks for the insult!
FeartheReaper
July 22nd, 2010
3:51 pm
Every school has these problems, See ND or UCLA or ALA or Tenn, players that are coddled,pampered and protected often turn out bad. But you have to admit CMR would be crucified if he didn’t recruit the highly ranked players where much of this problem manifests. With every team.
shannon1776
July 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
JS, you are a little spanker. Bet you voted for Obama didn’t you?
Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
GeoffDawg — Thanks. It’s not uncommon for people to like when something negative is written about another school, but not their’s. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s about being a fan.
Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
GeoffDawg — On Saban: Yeah, it was a joke.
Wileycoyote?
July 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
Fair enough. The Damon debacle was as bad as I want to ever see again. See you on the field at UGA this season.
Jeff Schultz
July 22nd, 2010
3:53 pm
Dawggirl — He knew the context of the question.
missingTerrance
July 22nd, 2010
3:54 pm
People, once again, Jeff’s job is actually described in his job description as “Sh*t Stirrer” You can’t fault the man for doing his job, just don’t stand too close to him.
Pi$$onaDawg
July 22nd, 2010
3:54 pm
Would the same players Richt gets to play ball be admitted in Clarke Atlanta University or Howard on grades and academic work? If not then they should not get in the FLAGSHIP institute of benge drinking white frat boys and fake blonde suburban white chicks.
Reece
July 22nd, 2010
3:55 pm
I like this youtube clip of the classy Alabam Coach, giving his word, on video,
“I don’t know how else to say, I’m not going to be the coach at Alabama”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCWGGxIYsMc&fmt=18