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
Bdawg
November 1st, 2010
5:09 pm
Does anybody even care? We lost and that’s the bottom line and he could have been talking about the way UGA’s defense was tackling.
Flo-Ri-Duh!
November 1st, 2010
5:09 pm
Giving the choke sign? What’s wrong with that? It’s psychology used against an opponent. Also calling a time out to “freeze” the kicker is another brain game. Is that wrong too? Give me a break. He did not hit anyone or curse them out. You are really getting picky.
wolfman
November 1st, 2010
5:10 pm
gadawgs=crybaby
Gator Bob
November 1st, 2010
5:10 pm
Who cares – great game – and Florida won again!
What’s next – secret tape recorders to see if any harsh or unsportsmanlike language is used in a locker room?
At least this coach has some fire in his belly!
My Mom Went to UGA, never came home
November 1st, 2010
5:10 pm
I hope someone sends everyone of these article about the arrest, poor coaching, choke signs, disciplinary problems to the FACEBOOK pages, Twitters, emails to every recruit thinking or considering attending UGA.
F.A. Grantham
November 1st, 2010
5:11 pm
What I really meant was that if that kicker for Florida had missed that field goal I was going to choke the life out of him!!! I was getting hungry for some of that post game grub!!! THWG F.A. had to get his grub on!!!!!
gadawgs
November 1st, 2010
5:11 pm
Wolfman..Wow now that’s original. Breaking out the crybaby references, huh. Is that the best you got?
Flo-Ri-Duh!
November 1st, 2010
5:12 pm
What is worse – letting some one that has threatened a life play or grabbing one’s own throat on the sideline? I understand you Atlanta guys don’t like UGA and you are Tech stoogies but you making a big deal out of this is absurd.
My Mom Went to UGA, never came home
November 1st, 2010
5:12 pm
Does anyone think Coach Searels is wishing he had taken that job offer from Auburn now?
Mike V
November 1st, 2010
5:12 pm
Who the hell cares?? If the kid can’t take that why is he playing college football. Jeez people, I thought you were looking for some fire from this coaching staff.
Bdawg
November 1st, 2010
5:13 pm
Nine games into the season and we still don’t have a good grasp of the defense. The sad part is that we still don’t have the big run stopper that we need for the 3/4 coming in next year and the secondary still can’t cover or make a solid tackle. What happened to Alec Ogletree’s playing time in this game? We need a lot more talented players and also more talented coaching to get us back to a championship team. I’m willing to give Grantham another year but the offensive staff has to go.
Flo-Ri-Duh!
November 1st, 2010
5:13 pm
gadawgs…are you really wearing a tutu?
Georgia .....Bottom Feeders of College Football
November 1st, 2010
5:13 pm
It shows too!
Gator Bob
November 1st, 2010
5:13 pm
This ain’t peewee football – he can give the choke sign all he wants.
As a Gator – I am not offended!
gadawgs
November 1st, 2010
5:13 pm
Wolfman…To which gadawgs are you referring?
Bdawg
November 1st, 2010
5:14 pm
Hey dudes….gadawgs is wearing a tutu!
TheAntiMe
November 1st, 2010
5:15 pm
Actually, Rooster, I’d like to congratulate you on your username. It fits you well being that is is synonymous with… well anyway. Sorry if I hurt your iddy biddy little feelings with my parody of your favorite coach.
If the most intelligent comments you can make is to call me names then I guess you really do live down to your name.
Mr. Average
November 1st, 2010
5:15 pm
I wished he’d mooned the kicker. Now that would have really been funny.
ratherBgambling
November 1st, 2010
5:16 pm
UGA fans bash decisions of 18-20 year olds but they have grown men acting like juveniles and AD’s driving drunk with hookers……………………..ignornat fools
ChicagoGator
November 1st, 2010
5:16 pm
Class move by Grantham, but did anyone see his boss deliberately spit at the camera as he took his headset off at the end of the game? Both are trailer trash….
Bdawg
November 1st, 2010
5:16 pm
Who the hell cares if Searles had taken the job in Auburn. Then maybe we would have someone to light some fire under the players a**es. The whole team needs some fire including the entire coaching staff.
UGAMD
November 1st, 2010
5:17 pm
I love it. Finally someone shows a pulse on the UGA coaching staff.
Mitch (the one in Rome)
November 1st, 2010
5:17 pm
Are you serious? I was hoping he would choke too. Who care? I was doing more than holding up the choke sign. That’s not the half of what happens on a sideline during a game. Football is a controlled war, and it’s hot down there. If it’s not a signal, he’s probably telling the punter who is kicking the FG to choke. So what? Think there was not more being said?
Find a real story people.
Rich Copeland
November 1st, 2010
5:18 pm
You puppies can “spin” this anyway you want to – but why not try and read his lips of the obscenities he was shouting at our kicker. We have tv in Florida too, and all of that was caught live. CMR was standing close to him and must have heard them. Can’t wait to hear the explanation of this – and Florida has no “class” – right?
Oh Well, UGA will have “something” to say about this and all of you Dogs will fall in line with it. What if Urban Meyer was caught doing this? Damn, I love this game – 18-3…
UGAMD
November 1st, 2010
5:18 pm
Maybe they should try some back surgery
atltiger15
November 1st, 2010
5:18 pm
Not a fan of either school< but this is a non issue as far as i'm concerned. I view coaches calling timeout right before the snap on a fg to be more of an issue.
UGAMD
November 1st, 2010
5:18 pm
Or maybe a symoidechtomy
My Mom Went to UGA, never came home
November 1st, 2010
5:18 pm
Ranking the SEC according to play
Auburn
Alabama
LSU
South Carolina
Miss St.
Arkansas
Florida
UGA
Kentucky
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Vandy
Ranking the Coaching Staffs
Alabama
Auburn
South Carolina
LSU
Miss St.
Arkansas
Florida
Kentucky
Ole Miss
Georgia
Tennessee
Vandy
Thugism by team
UGA
Florida
Tennessee
South Carolina
Auburn
LSU
ARKANSAS
Miss. St.
Ole Miss
Alabama
Kentucky
Vandy
gbal
November 1st, 2010
5:19 pm
Shutltz and the AJC are absolute jokes to print something like this …an absolute joke and the picture of unprofessionalism, Ditch the internet ajc and pring back the old print version. Put Shultz out of a job is what that would do. Shultz… you are an absolute piece of…
Canton Pete
November 1st, 2010
5:20 pm
No one can put spin on things like this better than UGA fans. If it were a UF coach, the uproar would be deafening, just like the timeout Meyer called to let UGA sit and think about how much they suck. But both the choke and the timeout pale in comparison to an order from the coach for the entire team to get a celebration penalty in the endzone and risk a Miami/FIU style all-out brawl for the sake of motivating the players.
UGA is a cancer to the SEC’s image.
Terry
November 1st, 2010
5:20 pm
… and the wussification of American boys/men continues.
Dawg Whisperer
November 1st, 2010
5:21 pm
You know, in a world where underprivileged people die of starvation, disease, war, etc., and children have little or no future because of their circumstances, this has got be one of the silliest non-stories I have ever seen. Gator fans… please douse your dinners in big crocidillian tears. The problem with the state of the gator fan is that they have reduced the value of their existence to the peaks and valleys of a college football team. Keep on crying over a choke gesture like the world is coming to an end because the rest of us don’t care!
My Mom Went to UGA, never came home
November 1st, 2010
5:23 pm
gbal…any print or media against the team who led the NCAA FBS in arrest should never be printed right? Then a 4-5 record by a team who at one point during the preseason had such hight aspirations. And you want Schultz fired, Bradley fired , Bill King fired or anyone at the AJC fired for making a point that has already hit the national media, florida media and ESPN..
gadawgs
November 1st, 2010
5:24 pm
Canton Pete….If a UF coach did this I would not care. It’s football not badminton. It’s not like Grantham kneecapped the guy before the kick. Like I said in an earlier post these are grown men not kids. If that kicker is going to be intimidated by Grantham giving him the choke sign he is playing the wrong sport.
Terry
November 1st, 2010
5:24 pm
Dawg Whisperer you are a racist!
THUGA! THUGA ! THUGA !
November 1st, 2010
5:24 pm
When will the NCAA and The SEC step in and take control of the UGA players and coaching staff?
shane
November 1st, 2010
5:24 pm
who cares???
L-Dawg
November 1st, 2010
5:24 pm
Journalism at it’s finest…
David Caradine
November 1st, 2010
5:25 pm
three things we need to point out before we guess wrong.
1. all ugagers are jerks offs
2. his left hand is down at his ahem side
3. he is choking himself
what you cant see is that this jerk off has his pants down to his ankles while he chokes himself and the chicken.
being a dog he cant be doing any other thing (pun intended)
if i was the d coordinatore of such a classless bunch of losers i would be looking for gratification any way i could find it as well.
as judy tenuta used to say…. it could happen!
Tony
November 1st, 2010
5:25 pm
UGA recruits with cash, booze, and daughters and leads with chumps. Kind of a Calepari but no titles
Terry
November 1st, 2010
5:27 pm
David….that was really stupid. You are a mental pigmy
Dawg Whisperer
November 1st, 2010
5:27 pm
Terry, go buy a Webster’s dictionary. You clearly need one.
Dawgmess
November 1st, 2010
5:27 pm
Schultzy, you must’ve frantically turned over a lot of rocks to find something to criticize this week.
DawgFan
November 1st, 2010
5:28 pm
At this point, in this season, WHO CARES!
Maybe Martinez wasn’t so bad, huh?
Terry
November 1st, 2010
5:28 pm
Tony you have poo poo between your ears
ratherBgambling
November 1st, 2010
5:28 pm
Shane,
Obv some people care that is why there are 9 pages of posts.
i think that jeff and mark are
November 1st, 2010
5:28 pm
actuallly getting book fodder.
they are going to write a book containing the some of the best ever trash talking….
from these very blogs.
id buy it.
The Choke sign was meant for Mike Bobo..
November 1st, 2010
5:29 pm
Whay is this a story?
This is stupid.
Georgia Fans Eat Idiot Sandwiches
November 1st, 2010
5:29 pm
If a Florida coach had done the same thing, all you dumb Georgia rednecks would be crying foul too.Stay classy Georgia.
My Mom Went to UGA, never came home
November 1st, 2010
5:29 pm
UGA fans need to look around other schools and their beat writers, columnist , sports reporters and blogs and see this is what is required of a good beat reporter and journalist. Last three weeks the Orlando Sentinel, Gainesville Sun have beaten up Meyer and UF like a red headed step child. The Tennessean beats on Dooley daily, The Times Picayune beats on Miles and LSU daily, The AL.com writers beat on Saban and Chizik as soon as something fails or is newsworthy.
Get past our local paper doing their jobs and reporting what needs to be reported. We are an average team with an average coaching staff.