Grantham’s antics were over the line — it’s not even close
Todd Grantham appears to be giving "choke" sign before Florida lines up for field goal attempt.
(Tuesday, 8 p.m.: This blog has been updated throughout, now that Georgia coach Mark Richt has confirmed that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham gave the choke sign and shouted something well south of the King’s English at Florida kicker Chas Henry Saturday. Just added: Grantham quotes)
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This isn’t about football. This isn’t about how we’re just too politically correct, or about how some of us just aren’t tough enough, or how we’re all just picking on the poor Georgia Bulldogs because, you know, that’s just what the leftist, evil media does.
This is about right and wrong. A 44-year-old college coaching grabbing his throat multiple times and shouting, “You’re gonna [bleepin'] choke,” at the opponent’s 21-year-old kicker?
Folks, that’s wrong. It’s over the line. It’s not even a close call.
Todd Grantham shouting “Choke” at the opposing player doesn’t make him or his team any tougher or better. It just makes him look classless. The Georgia defensive coordinator owes everybody an apology, from the Bulldogs’ program to Florida kicker Chas Henry, the target of Grantham’s sideline antics in Jacksonville.
Dogs coach Mark Richt confirmed Tuesday what had become obvious Monday, when he was unavailable for comment. Grantham gave the choke sign to Henry multiple times and he was wrong for doing so. The picture above tells part of the story. The two videos below tell more of it. In short, Grantham — who can be a little on the excitable side, which in itself isn’t a bad thing — let his competitive spirit push him over the line of what’s right and wrong. He grabbed his throat four times while the Florida kicker lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt in overtime.
Henry, a native of Dallas, Ga., acknowledged seeing and hearing Grantham but he made the kick anyway, giving the Gators a 34-31 win.
The above screen grab from the Florida sports cable network “Sun Sports” showed Grantham on the sideline. Below are two videos:
VIDEO No. 1: Here is Henry’s post-game interview with CBS when he references what he saw when he looked to the Georgia sideline during the timeout. Quote: “Some of their coaches on the sideline were giving me a little grief, saying I was gonna choke.”)
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VIDEO No. 2: Here’s one view of Grantham going through his motions before the kick, via Sports by Brooks.)
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It was at about 6:30 p.m. Monday night when Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun sent a note out on Twitter: “Just checked the CBS broadcast again. Todd Grantham grabs his neck and says ‘You’re gonna bleepin’ choke. You’re gonna choke’ to Henry.”
By then, it was clear that Richt had a mess to clean up, and for once it had nothing to do with his players and the Athens-Clarke County police department
As I wrote earlier, it would be understandable — even expected — that Grantham would think, “Choke!” or “Miss it!” in his head. It wouldn’t even be surprising if a Georgia player yelled, “Choke!” or grabbed his neck. But that’s not something a college coach should be doing, and Richt acknowledged that.
Grantham himself expressed regret about the incident, saying after Tuesday’s practice: “As a competitor, sometimes you get caught up in the heat of the moment. I wish the situation hadn’t happened.”
Earlier in the day, Richt also referenced that “emotions run high,” adding: “People do things they probably wish they didn’t do. I think that was what was being communicated. I don’t think he’s necessarily proud of it. We’re just going to learn from it and move on.”
Not the first thing this year the Dogs are trying to learn from.
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1,682 comments Add your comment
How much?
November 1st, 2010
6:50 pm
$750,000 a year for this jerk?
Thekingtata
November 1st, 2010
6:51 pm
Come on Jeff, I typically can’t wait to come home and read your blogs. This is NOT a story. Waste of time
Tripple lindy
November 1st, 2010
6:51 pm
Seriously? This is an issue? There are a thousand other things to write about. Besides, I bet he was just demonstrating the moral character of Chris Rainey to Uban Meyer.
Ellen
November 1st, 2010
6:51 pm
Seriously? Such a non-issue and so not important. You can’t take one snapshot from a video and claim exactly what he was doing. Can we get back to actually discussing football?
Natalie Wood
November 1st, 2010
6:52 pm
I believe what was really going on here was he was just signaling to everyone that he and Richt were out of a job by giving the “choke” signal. He was just trying to be a nice guy so everyone knew it was their last game together.
Ellen
November 1st, 2010
6:53 pm
P.S. I’m no fan of the defense, BUT you cannot blame all 31 points on them. Turnovers by the offense lead to a lot of those points. Jeff, you can go back to your Tech blog now.
34 Points
November 1st, 2010
6:53 pm
Thanks to Jeff Schultz for pointing out what a supreme moron Grantham is. Of course, the 34 points was a tipoff too.
My View
November 1st, 2010
6:54 pm
Its a gesture!!! Not assult…. Gestures are painless to the strong minded. If a gesture hurts you, then you will be hurt quite often if you live long enough.
Cymbalta
November 1st, 2010
6:55 pm
Was he choking on a chicken leg? Could be..seems like all the players had greasy fingers. Was the team meal KFC?
BirdDog
November 1st, 2010
6:55 pm
So what? Who really cares?
No wonder...
November 1st, 2010
6:56 pm
… It’s called The Cesspool of the South.
Buzz
November 1st, 2010
6:58 pm
Trailer Trash, from the fans to the coaching staff!
FLA DAWG
November 1st, 2010
7:00 pm
Jeff you are a complete moron.
If Grantham did indeed motion a choke to The Gator kicker who cares!?
I have called for a complete coaching change so I have no “dog” in this fight.
But this is the biggest reach I have ever read.
Write more about on field miscues, turnovers, missed blocks, tackles and off field arrests.
Those are all legit.
But to focus on this is absolutely absurd.
Who cares?
November 1st, 2010
7:00 pm
So what? Who really cares?
Decent people care.
Joseph
November 1st, 2010
7:01 pm
Who cares
devildawg
November 1st, 2010
7:01 pm
Seriously? This is the most contrived, irritating thing to make a big deal over. No one has shown the slightest proof that this was directed toward a Florida player, period. How about waiting until you have this little thing called “evidence” before hit-mongering? Crap journalism.
GT FAN
November 1st, 2010
7:01 pm
WOW, You idiots will make sense out of anything for your gain. Its called sportmanship. If your coaching staff has no integrity, then that says alot about your school. You people dont care because the kicker made the goal. It is classless and tasteless for the staff to do that. I think he was doing his best Rodney Dangerfield, “no respect” inpersonation.
Cymbalta
November 1st, 2010
7:03 pm
This just in off the hotwire…local Jackonsonville KFC sold out after Georgia Team bus visits drive thru.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
November 1st, 2010
7:03 pm
Slow news day there Jeff.
How about, not the imagined gesture you speculate about, but the real time-outs that Meyer took against UGA late in the game up by about 6 TDs. Pretty child-like.
General Ledger
November 1st, 2010
7:05 pm
I really don’t see what the big deal is. It would have been worse if the the kicker missed it and the Grantham made the gesture. Otherwise, I don’t see that it matters.
dawgma
November 1st, 2010
7:05 pm
I thought he was doing that when Bobo called his last series in OT.
Aweful.
btw…Who gives a tinkers dam.
TechFan
November 1st, 2010
7:06 pm
He was symbolizing Georgia football ever since the pre-season #1 ranking in 2008
Jay in VA
November 1st, 2010
7:06 pm
Can’t believe you’re making a headline out of this. Even if it was a choke sign, does it rise (sink?) to the level of the Spikes eye gouge last year? There’s enough hate in this rivalry without the press trying to stir the pot. Here’s an idea – practice some real journalism rather than tabloid stuff like this.
the real Old Gold
November 1st, 2010
7:06 pm
This is almost as bad as Aaron Murray’s haircut.
KimZ'spackage
November 1st, 2010
7:06 pm
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.
I guess TXT MGS don’t count and neither do stupid Gestures.
Erin Andrews
November 1st, 2010
7:11 pm
He was actually gesturing that to Bobo.
Beast from the East
November 1st, 2010
7:13 pm
I don’t think most of us Gators really care. All we reallt care about is the final score.
I’m sure it will be hanging in the locker room next year for a little extra motivation for the Gators. That’s IF the current UGA staff is still employed.
tim
November 1st, 2010
7:14 pm
What if he did? Everyone of us was thinking the same thing! Big deal!
McDawg
November 1st, 2010
7:15 pm
choke??? coming from a UGA person in JAX
on the other, hand at least somebody wanted to win
Beast from the East
November 1st, 2010
7:17 pm
Dawg Fans,
We all know that was what everyone on your side of the ball was thinking and rightfully so. My question is this….How would you all be reacting if that was a member of the UF staff doing it to the UGA kicker? I’m sure it would be a BIG deal to most of you.
That being said, no harm no foul. Let’s move on.
Tony Martin
November 1st, 2010
7:20 pm
What a jerk you are Schultz. That could haven been the signal for a special call to try and block the Frigging field goal try. Why even bring something like that. Guess you are going to call the athens police and hope they bring charges against him, What are you going to say when he shuts the Techies out. Right now Todd is the only motivator on the staff.
RS DAWG
November 1st, 2010
7:24 pm
Okay, we lost.Is there anything else you care to bring up? GYSB!!
Bug Zapper
November 1st, 2010
7:24 pm
What a stupid subject Jeff!…..You must not have much going on today huh?….Anyhow, you give Richt hell for not being emmotional and now you flip the coin over Grantham?……..
Todd Grantham
November 1st, 2010
7:24 pm
To clarify the record….I was signaling our down linemen on the kick block team to choke down on the blockers and knock them to the ground to give AJ a chance to get up the middle and block it.
End of controversy.
Cymbalta
November 1st, 2010
7:26 pm
Did you see Coach Richt spit after the field goal. Can someone confirm?
College Football Expert
November 1st, 2010
7:27 pm
No class. Childish party school with no discipline. It is obvious why they are 9th in the SEC. They would be 9th in the ACC I’m certain.
Jeff Dum_ass Schultz
November 1st, 2010
7:27 pm
Jeff,
There was your answer dumbass!!!
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
7:28 pm
@ Tech Fan –
We’ll still beat your sorry asses.
8 out of 9. Now go back to your Dungeons & Dragons game.
Go Dawgs.
Rational Dawg
November 1st, 2010
7:31 pm
We used to carry ourselves as a class program. I’m not sure what’s more sad: the coach or my fellow dawg fans that don’t find a problem with it.
Bama Stan
November 1st, 2010
7:33 pm
Classy! Something to be proud of Georgia fans.
No Class Dawgs
November 1st, 2010
7:35 pm
College Football Expert and others have hit it on the head. There are many UGA fans that have NO CLASS. And you can see who some of them are by who has posted the apologist/joke comments on this thread offering up reasons for the gesture. Like someone said on another blog, UGA needs to go to Walmart and get some new fans. Some WITH CLASS, Only then can they talk about other schools’ lack of it. And if you want to talk about somebody else’s coach that is classless, talk first about Grantham. You Dawgs are not only delusional, you got NO CLASS !!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Urban Meyer
November 1st, 2010
7:35 pm
How ironic, a Georgia guy giving the choke sign to a Florida player
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
7:37 pm
Geez, Rational, the kid probably never even saw it. How does that even compare to what Duke BB fans do to a kid who is attempting a free throw? This should be a non-story Mr. Jeff (I really pull for Tech) Schultz. Putz.
DAWGFART
November 1st, 2010
7:38 pm
Jeff,
Is’nt early for Friday’s Column. You have better a column within, than this. Just keep telling yourself jou can do it, jou can do it.
Jesup
November 1st, 2010
7:40 pm
Only news if it had worked…..man i wish it would have, i was surrounded by orange.
jtdawg
November 1st, 2010
7:41 pm
”
Jeff Schultz
November 1st, 2010
4:15 pm
To all the people who think it would be no big deal if Grantham was giving the choke sign, I have a question: Would you feel the same way if a Georgia kicker was lining up for the winning field goal and a Gators’ coach was caught by the cameras grabbing his neck? Just curious.
”
Jeff –
the answer is yes. So what????
Are you really that serious about this? Big deal.
To all the Gator fans that say this is more “bulletin board” material – maybe so? who cares? You Florida fans have been debiting from the Karma teller for too long. It will all come back around to you too at some point. So give me a break.
To the World – stop being so sensitive to every emotion.
Thanks.
Signed, Life
Falcon1364
November 1st, 2010
7:42 pm
He was scratching a mosquito bite !
jtdawg
November 1st, 2010
7:43 pm
Cymbalta -
I saw that too – and felt the same damn way actually.
Maybe Richt and Grantham should both be fired for showing emotion. They can take Boo Boo too.
I promise, I’ll get over it
WTF?
November 1st, 2010
7:43 pm
This is a dumb story. Does the AJC have nothing better to talk about?
jtdawg
November 1st, 2010
7:45 pm
Jeff -
BTW, love your little update attempt to support your Most Curious UGA Conspiracy.
Really? C’mon. You are a much better columnist than this.
Do some imperical research and give us some real reasons to can this staff….