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)
♦
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.”)
♦
VIDEO No. 2: Here’s one view of Grantham going through his motions before the kick, via Sports by Brooks.)
♦
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.
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,682 comments Add your comment
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
11:00 pm
kgtech -
Buzz off or I’ll choke you with a can of Raid. Now go to bed before you get in trouble with your mommy.
Bug. 8 out of 9.
Mike T.
November 1st, 2010
11:00 pm
Georgia vs UF 47-40-2
Georgia vs GT 60-39-5
Goodnight
kgtech
November 1st, 2010
11:01 pm
And how many National Championships has GA won????? ONE
Night and tell your wife I said goodnight to!LMAO
ssidawg
November 1st, 2010
11:01 pm
Guys – realize that the team is way under performing – whose fault does not matter – how do we get better
dawgslikballs
November 1st, 2010
11:01 pm
Say Mike…how old do you have to be for UGA to have a winning record vs. the Gators during your lifetime?
Surfdawg
November 1st, 2010
11:03 pm
I’m with you SVANNAHDAWG, Hell I was giving him the choke sign to, as well as everybody else in the West stands
Luv ya Pups
November 1st, 2010
11:03 pm
Okay Mike T., you’re right. Congrats on being a historic success. We’ll remember you fondly kinda like the Roman empire. Meanwhile, we’ve moved on so enjoy the newsreels from the Ford and Carter years and congrats on being able to beat up on the Big Sky, ACC and Big 12 (oops, not the Big 12).
Who Cares?
November 1st, 2010
11:05 pm
This is the dumbest thing I have read in a while…
UGA Not Elite Program
November 1st, 2010
11:05 pm
Good luck finding a bowl after Christmas, if you even become eligible.
Your program is a joke.
Spokesman for the SEC East
November 1st, 2010
11:06 pm
Mike T. thanks for reminding us. Hopefully McGarrity will find comfort in your stats and we can keep the Grantham Richt combination for another 7 years.
kgtech
November 1st, 2010
11:07 pm
Mike T you have officially lost this argument now go to bed and be a good little boy.
dawgslikballs
November 1st, 2010
11:08 pm
Tomorrow is voting day. I’m casting my ballot for 4 more years of CMR and the chokeman.
Ed
November 1st, 2010
11:08 pm
And of course, there’s Saint Mark nearby pretending to be oblivious to it all. A classless display by Grantham, with Richt’s apparent acquiescence. Richt’s time at UGA has about run its course. It’s time to move on and find a coach with a fresh approach.
The usual pre Florida Georgia observation
November 1st, 2010
11:10 pm
The reason Florida fans are always the last to fill the stadium is they know that they will be the last to leave the stadium.
Gen Neyland
November 1st, 2010
11:11 pm
Damage Control, I need a report…
The usual pre Florida Georgia observation
November 1st, 2010
11:12 pm
Should the choke sign not being acknowledged by Richt the liar be a surprise? He said in 2007 after the Dancing with the stars episode in the Endzone that he didnt approve of it even after CBS showed him laughing while it was going on. Typical hypocritical liar!
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
11:12 pm
Jeff Schultz reports Pete Carroll gave choke sign 17 years ago:
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/14/sports/pro-football-dolphins-just-love-to-let-him-boot-one.html
He is under investigation.
Gen Neyland
November 1st, 2010
11:12 pm
Is Grantham related to Orgeron..?
DontfireRicht.com
November 1st, 2010
11:13 pm
Supported by the University of Florida
ssidawg
November 1st, 2010
11:14 pm
it sucks that “uga not an elite program” is right
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
11:14 pm
The reason UF fans are the last to fill the stadium is that they are too stupid to read their tickets and find their seats.
DontfireRicht.com
November 1st, 2010
11:15 pm
The Exterminator and the humper fans are too stupid to read that the game isnt over yet?
Judge Smails
November 1st, 2010
11:16 pm
Noonan, miss it ….NOOONAN… miss, miss, MISS IT..
The Termigator
November 1st, 2010
11:16 pm
Exterminator the only ones who cant find their seats are the ones who buy them from redneck jawja fans who are sick of the beatdowns and sell them on line.
Lester Maddox
November 1st, 2010
11:17 pm
Bring back Willie….. Willie B….
dawgslikballs
November 1st, 2010
11:17 pm
Ed…No, no, no.
4 more years.
4 more years.
4 more years.
Best 4-6 D-1 School in the Nation
November 1st, 2010
11:18 pm
B.F.D.
Nation's Pasttime MNF Dawg Fan
November 1st, 2010
11:19 pm
Monica Kaufman looks like a Q-Tip. And she just gave Glenn Burns the choke sign.
ryan
November 1st, 2010
11:19 pm
UGA will rise again we have been down before Bama was bad before Saban and so was Florida before Meyer
Schultz is a schmuck
November 1st, 2010
11:20 pm
Who cares? Get a life Schultz, you moron.
Marky Mark
November 1st, 2010
11:20 pm
THIS IS SO SAD!!! I am embarassed to admit that I spent 10 minutes of my life reading these pathetic comments. Most of you clowns don’t even get it. First of all what Schultz is reporting is 100% accurate as I have watched the Sun Sports telecast of the game and Todd Grantham clearly grabs his throat multiple times and yells at Chas Henry (Florida’s kicker) – you are going to choke with some expletives thrown in. The point is for all of you that can’t comprehend the low rent behavior displayed by Grantham is that he is a COACH not a player. He is supposed to be a teacher of young men and should lead by example – that is why Damon Evans was fired as he did not lead the Georgia athletic department by setting a good example for the all the players at the school – you can’t admonish drinking and driving and then go out and do it your self – not really a good example for young people. An opposing COACH trying to intimidate or harrass a collegiate player on another team is just not acceptable ( this is not professional sports). I am sure there will be a formal apology issued by McGarity and the Georgia Athletic Department condeming this kind of sleazy behavior by one of it’s top coaches. If he coached his team to play better defense against an offense that could only muster 7 points against Miss St then he would have to resort to such outlandish antics to intimidate a kid trying to kick a field goal. I guess he is so desperate that he will do whatever it take to win. Again the really sad thing here is that most of you either condone, deflect or argue the issue. You all are a sorry bunch.
Stacy
November 1st, 2010
11:21 pm
I agree, who cares??? Must be a boring news day. If that is the best you can come up with, give the Maintenance Crew the day off and go clean the toilets or something. Make yourself useful.
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
11:21 pm
Termigaytor, don’t you need to wash your El Camino, iron your jean shorts, comb your mullet and get ready to take your GED test?
The Termigator
November 1st, 2010
11:23 pm
Ryan not so fast my friend, even the Zooker was 2-1 against Richt.
Dave
November 1st, 2010
11:23 pm
The real question is what the hell does CMR have on the GA media?
The guy has stunk forever and everybody else get’s the blame.
Steve
November 1st, 2010
11:24 pm
Are you kidding me? This is news worthy? Only on the AJC and it’s anti-UGA writer cesspool is this even a topic. Jeez.
If you published half the animations that coaches went thru during the games from anger at their own players, to the refs, to the other team .. it would make your heads spin. To point this one out is the AJC showing their true journalistic bias.
Allen
November 1st, 2010
11:25 pm
Who cares?
BUBBA GUMP
November 1st, 2010
11:26 pm
Who cares one way or the other……………..It is part of the game………….get over it.
Steve
November 1st, 2010
11:27 pm
Dave .. seriously .. stunk forever? You do realize he has a comparable record to Urban Meyer, as well as Saban. Or better yet, since he has been at UGA he has a top five record of any coach who didn’t get his school on probation.
If you think this guy stinks, then goo dluck finding someone who fits your definition of success you moron.
It is a disgrace
November 1st, 2010
11:27 pm
Marky Mark, you are right.
I am sick of Mark Richt looking the other way or pretending things didn’t happen (just like he lied about Bobo’s call that caused the fumble in the Colorado game). It is so obvious from the video that has gone viral. ESPN News just reported on it a while ago.
Shultz is right on – this should not happen from a coach. Very immature and not at all a very good representation of sportsmanship.
For all you folks who say …. get a life or no story here…. quit trying to belittle or deflect the issue. How many other coaches do you see doing that???????????????????????????????????
Granthem really is a disgrace both in his coaching and in his actions. I feel sorry for our players being coached by such a jerk off.
Gerry
November 1st, 2010
11:27 pm
I mean really people who gives a $h..t what he did. How bout we all go get a life.
The Termigator
November 1st, 2010
11:28 pm
A choke sign by a coach is about the same as an attempted eye gouge by a player. Grantham’s big problem is he is more concerned about getting to the buffet line at the cafeteria.
ryan
November 1st, 2010
11:28 pm
Becarefull what you wish for if Richt does get fired because UGA will go out and get big name coach because UGA has the money and McGarity will do what ever it takes to get a winning coach .
The Exterminator
November 1st, 2010
11:29 pm
From the Associated Press – Washington, D.C. : The White House reports Barack could not perform in the presidential bedroom tonight. Michelle reportedly gave him the choke sign. A dejected president went outside and had a smoke. Jeff Schultz will be following this story for us.
Stacy
November 1st, 2010
11:29 pm
Marky Mark, you are a joke. You sit there and say how pathetic it is that you stayed and wasted 10 minutes of your life reading this and then you leave one of the longest posts. Lol. What a dork. Next time, spend that 10 minutes and go do something useful. Maybe write a post someone cares about or sing a song.
Living in the past
November 1st, 2010
11:30 pm
Steve,
You are living in the past dude…. what has Richt done lately bud. He has put it on cruise control and is just cashing checks.
He does stink – UGA has a losing record 9 games into the season and is pretty much assured of nothing better than 6-6. If we do go to a bowl it will be the toilet bowl…..geesh.
Red Panties
November 1st, 2010
11:30 pm
A grown man making $750,000 a year exhibiting this sort of behavior towards a student-athlete? One word: Pathetic. Just like the rest of the UGa “program.”
The Termigator
November 1st, 2010
11:30 pm
Ryan with Richts stellar SEC record, we hope Richt gets a 10 year extension along with Todd “I never missed a meal” Grantham.
Get a life?
November 1st, 2010
11:30 pm
Enter your comments here
Todd Grantham
November 1st, 2010
11:31 pm
It was not a choke sign, I was encouraging Chas Henry to chew is food properly so his waistline will look like mine.