Crowell’s recruitment aside, Washaun Ealey did this to himself (Update III)
Washaun Ealey is in a deep hole with coach Mark Richt.
(UPDATED AT 7 p.m. with Mark Richt statement.)
For the past two months at least — or since about the time most believed Georgia would land running back Isaiah Crowell in recruiting — there have been rumors that Washaun Ealey might transfer to Georgia Southern.
But what happened Tuesday when Ealey was suspended indefinitely isn’t about Crowell. It’s about Ealey –and maybe a little about coach Mark Richt.
Ealey has been inconsistent as a player,which is why the Bulldogs so desperately needed to land Crowell on national letter of intent day. But the more significant issues with the sophomore relating to his future in Athens have been off the field. Ealey’s arrest for a hit-and-run incident last summer — after multiple warnings about driving with a suspended license — infuriated Richt.
Rumors have been flying for the past 24 hours that Ealey last week missed a “punishment run,” which are handed out for things like missing tutoring sessions. Rumors morphed into conclusions that Ealey was kicked off the team. If that’s true, nobody is saying it. Georgia’s official response for now is only that Ealey is still on the team.
UPDATE: Here’s a statement from Richt:
“We have certain expectations and standards that apply to all our student-athletes. We expect them to do things the right way, the Georgia way. If Washaun does things the Georgia way, he’ll be back in good standing.”
But Ealey might want to take this as a hint, and transfer. He has two years of eligibility left and he’s in a pretty deep hole with Richt. Working his way out of that now might be impossible and transferring might be his best option. Richt has become increasingly “tough on crime” in the past year, which is a good sign.
Since signing day, we’ve learned to what lengths Richt went to land Crowell. Debbie Crowell, the player’s mother, confirmed to our Steve Hummer that Richt had Georgia players line up in an offensive formation in the new indoor practice facility during Crowell’s official visit. The only vacant position was running back. An excerpt from the story:
The 18-year-old and his family were shown to Richt’s new office, overlooking the recently completed indoor practice facility. As they visited, the Crowells noticed activity down below. Players began filing onto the practice field.
“We got up and looked out,” said Debbie Crowell, Isaiah’s mother. “I didn’t know what was going on, but Isaiah could tell that they were getting into formation. And there wasn’t a tailback.”
The stage was set. Richt escorted the family down to the field. Crowell was handed a Georgia jersey — No. 1 on the back — and a helmet and asked if he wanted to take that empty spot in the backfield. Debbie Crowell remembers Richt painting the scene of next season’s opener against Boise State, asking her son if he could see himself in that jersey and helmet, behind that offensive line, starting his career in the din of the Georgia Dome.
“Yes, sir, I can,” Isaiah said.
“My baby was excited. He was ready to go,” Debbie said.
Assuming Ealey learned of that, he couldn’t feel too great about his future in Athens.
Another running back, Caleb King, has been a disappointment and rumors of his exit also have circulated. The difference is that King has only one season of eligibility remaining and it might not be worth it to transfer.
When Richt recruited Crowell, he told him to imagine himself as Georgia’s starting running back. The coach then went public after his signing, saying Crowell could be “carrying the rock” as the starting back in the opener against Boise State.
But this is not all about Crowell’s potential. It’s about the way Ealey has imploded. There was a time it was his job to lose — and he lost it.
By Jeff Schultz
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806 comments Add your comment
Belcher
February 8th, 2011
12:03 pm
CMR knew Ealey was a Thuga when he signed him!!!!!
Tron5000
February 8th, 2011
12:03 pm
Why does Mr. Richt seem to recruit so many individuals of, shall we say, less-than-stellar moral character? You can win without morons on your team. Just look at Stanford.
Andy in Blairsville
February 8th, 2011
12:04 pm
What’s the over/under on the first recruit arrested?
jarvis
February 8th, 2011
12:04 pm
T3, nobody reads long posts. Clean it up.
74 Dawg
February 8th, 2011
12:04 pm
WDE, maybe Ealey is just upset he did not get any $$$ like Cam Newton. If I were an Auburn fan I would be more worried about the NCAA than what was going on at a rival school during the off season.
Th(UGA) strikes AGAIN
February 8th, 2011
12:04 pm
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
but but but
February 8th, 2011
12:06 pm
If Saban had done this all you hypocrit Dawggies would be screaming about oversigning and being unfair to the kid. What about him getting his degree at least if he doesn’t play football? Hmmmm? Isn’t it about the kids? Just throw him away because you have a better back coming in.
doc
February 8th, 2011
12:07 pm
MB, interesting isnt it? the time for tough love comes when CMR has a suitable replacement. i hope the entitlement is taken away from the new recruits and that spreads up to the others along the line. this kid jenkins that says he works will be the standard if CMR is lucky. i like his comments of and paraphrase, “i wasnt in a good place when i left high school, i worked hard and found myself considering offers from uga and fl. guess i did it pretty good.” that is the type kid one needs to build around. hope he keeps it up and it spreads.
odd to hear a cradle to grave ga tech fan say it, but the school ought to represent the state better than they have the last few years. besides the uga fans whine worst of all about their team when it doesnt go well. i am tired of it and hope they turn it around next year.
Cofan
February 8th, 2011
12:07 pm
I knew when Ga signed Isaiah Crowell they would get rid of Ealey…that is how they did King when they got Ealey…that is how they did Figgins when they got Charles…Can’t wait to see what that do to Charles so Jay can start….
LOL
February 8th, 2011
12:07 pm
Thats alright WDE, we’ll still beat the defending national chumps next year, and we won’t have spent nearly as much to do it.
The Sham
February 8th, 2011
12:07 pm
Note to Will’s Parole Officer – Will has been smoking crack again… Please take this moron off the streets. His blatant misinformation is a hazard to society’s overall intelligence. He must not be allowed to procreate!
Andy in Blairsville
February 8th, 2011
12:08 pm
If you think UGA players (like other colleges) don’t get paid to play and don’t take steroids you don’t live in reality.
Mike
February 8th, 2011
12:08 pm
Jeff-
Yes, Ealey missed the run, but Ealey didn’t bring on an INDEFINITE SUSPENSION.
Does that seem FAIR to you for missing 1 run?
WarEagleRut
February 8th, 2011
12:08 pm
If you noticed the signing day, Crowell can hardly speak….has trouble putting two sentences together. Very sad. He will have a hard time in Athens. And in the same signing, his teammate Gabe Wright, whom Auburn considers the best defensive tackle in the country, spoke like an upperclassman.
senoiadawgs
February 8th, 2011
12:11 pm
I for one can see Ealy’s talent running the rock. I hope for society and the Dawg nation Ealy would choose to stay and Mark Richt can show he can turn a bad apple into a good one. Washaun would grow as a man much more taking the punishment and growing as a man. For those that say these are just kids, that’s crap. You, I and all the other college kids made choices when we were that age. Yes some were bad however we all learned from those choices. It appears there are some on the team who think they are untouchable and want to remain a 5 yr old forever.
Now on to the other beef I have with some of the posts. You do anything within the rules to get a player that you deem to be great. So what if Richt lined up Crowell in the backfield. If I were Crowell I would have looked at Richt’s past and said realistically what chance do I have to play as a freshman. History tells us not a very good chance unless injury occurs. Richt does not like playing freshman for a variety of reasons which I do not understand. With all of that being said I personally think Crowell was crazy to choose UGA if he was looking at PT as a factor early in his career. Now to those that think this hurt the precious upperclassmen feelings, if anything is should have told Ealy, King, Thomas, Malcolme, etc… things are changing around here. I am going to have to work my butt off to get on the field I am not entitled any longer. If I want to live my dream of playing in the NFL I have to be on the field and I must change now. For that matter every guy except for the new recruits should realize my position is really at stake and i’ll be D$%N if some freshman is coming in here and taking my spot. I am going to work my tale off in the weight room, practice field, classroom and not get my license suspended so I am playing on Sat. not some little freshman. This is what all of the upperclassman should be saying and thinking.
UGAFAN13
February 8th, 2011
12:11 pm
This youngman is stuck on stupid!
Belcher
February 8th, 2011
12:12 pm
What will Crowell’s major be ???? Let me guess, maybe Ebonics!!!!!
Dawg Gone
February 8th, 2011
12:13 pm
I hate to say this but Coach Richt needs to kick Ealey off the team. Ealey’s cavalier attitude has infected the entire team. How many more chances do you give a person if that person does not change his ways?
Wake-up call
February 8th, 2011
12:13 pm
View this as an opportunity Mr. Ealy. I hope you make the most of it. Lessons such as these are better served when you learn them early. Step up to the plate and show Dawg Nation that you are teachable, coachable and can take criticism. We are all flawed. Cheers to your success!
Rob
February 8th, 2011
12:14 pm
Wasn’t he suspended once already. I’m a believer in progressive disciple; he should probably be kicked off the team. Also, Mark needs to send a strong message that he isn’t going to put up with the off the field stuff anymore. He has lost control of the current players, but can establish it with the new guys coming in.
doc
February 8th, 2011
12:14 pm
heh heh sorry jeff, thought it was more the line of MB however i enjoy both of your contributions and read regularly.
Wake-up call
February 8th, 2011
12:16 pm
Dawg gone… it will require Ealy to turn his life in a new direction (hard lesson for a youngster). I hope he does. I sure hope he does.
Th(UGA) strikes AGAIN
February 8th, 2011
12:16 pm
It’s the off season. Time of UGA criminal activity to pick up. What’s the over/under for number of dawgs to have a run in with the law and/or be suspended for some period of time? Based on recent history, it has to be close to an even dozen.
BMac
February 8th, 2011
12:17 pm
Enter your comments here
GT75
February 8th, 2011
12:17 pm
It is interesting to read about Ealey because of the parallel to Crowell. Both were highly regarded coming out of high school. Ealey behaved badly in the playoffs, spitting on an opponent. Crowell behaved badly on the sidelines during the playoffs. Ealey went on to lose that game, the finals of “A” class. Crowell went on to lose that game as well, the semi-finals of the “AA” class. Ealey got to UGA and behaved badly because he had a feeling of entitlement and thought the rules did not apply to him. How do you create this mentality? By doing things like making upper classmen line up in formation leaving a spot open for a high school recruit. How do you think those upper classmen felt, especially the running backs. Every team I’ve played on or heard of the freshmen were treated as scum of the earth until they proved otherwise on the field. Crowell will go to UGA thinking he is annointed the team savior and will behave accordingly. That’s how you create a prima donna. Ealey is Richt’s creation.
Nick Fairley
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
UGA must show off the Fulmer Cup with pride, they have nothing else. Oh except for years and years of “top” recruiting classes and champion dog inbreeding awards. Do they have dog shows for inbred dogs?
Personally, I am so happy we have the AFCA National Championship trophy on our campus next to Cam’s Heisman and my Lombardi Award Trophy. Man, it’s so much fun over here I hate to run off to the NFL as the #1 pick in the draft but the money is just too good and I don’t have to deal with cheaters who coordinate their chop blocks on me, which failed every time, and then start fights and empty their sidelines, all against NCAA rules, and make the SEC look bad.
UGhA.
jasont13
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
Ealey, hasn’t been kicked off the team. He is suspended from participating in TEAM activites. Since none of us were in the meeting between Richt and Ealey all we can do is speculate. This is a wake up call for him to clean up his act.
Wake-up call
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
Waushan, we have two ears and one mouth for a very valid reason. Listen well, keep your mouth shut and go to work.
beachside bulldawg
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
According to an article in the Florida Today by Peter Karasotis, there was only ONE former five star recruit on both Pitt and GB rosters, combined, maybe we get a little caught up?!?
Cuz
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
Some of you haters have no idea how absurd you sound.
Where does it say Ealey’s scholarship has been revoked? If Coach Richt did not kick him off the team, then he would be called the same old soft Richt. Crowell did not cause this, Waushan caused this. I guess Caleb King’s academic troubles are Crowell’s fault also.
senoia, great post. Sounds like you can start appearing as a motivational speaker.
Jason
February 8th, 2011
12:19 pm
You’d transfer too if you lived in Athens. What a dump.
SOGADOG
February 8th, 2011
12:19 pm
We have a problem with the running backs no doubt and if Ealey cant shape up then ship him out. King has disappointed too. Which leads to my question, can Bryan McLendon handle his job as running back’s coach? He too is a kid and I dont think his running backs respect him. We need more hard nosed coaching in Athens. McClendon’s performance needs to be evaluated. As running backs coach he is only responsible for five or six players and none of them performed well on the field and the two starters stayed in trouble last year. It is time for McLendon to shape his troops up.
Bud
February 8th, 2011
12:20 pm
Alabama Jack -You’re suppose to up in the ratings during the season, not down. You better be glad yall did’nt play the Dawgs last year , we would’ve kicked your ass!!!
Nick Fairley
February 8th, 2011
12:20 pm
h(UGA) strikes AGAIN
February 8th, 2011
12:16 pm
It’s the off season. Time of UGA criminal activity to pick up. What’s the over/under for number of dawgs to have a run in with the law and/or be suspended for some period of time? Based on recent history, it has to be close to an even dozen.
—
Hmmmm. How many players do they have?
Or how many points will they score toward the 2011 Fulmer Cup award, here are the rules according to wikipedia:
Points are scored for each charge received by players. (Players must be on the team roster at the time of the offense). The scoring for the Fulmer Cup is imprecise — murder is 5 points; rape, bestiality, and grand larceny are 4 points; assault et al. are 3; drug possession et al. are 2; and misdemeanors are 1 point.[2] Bonus points are awarded for arrests that occur under interesting and unusual circumstances.
In order to be eligible to win the Fulmer cup, a school must have more than one player charged. In other words, a school may not win the cup on the basis of a single player’s criminal record. This is known as the Ellis T. Jones III rule, after the San Jose State wide receiver who in 2006 was charged with 13 felony counts, including robbery, assault, and kidnapping; accumulating 31 points.
Past winners
* 2006: Marshall University
* 2007: University of Illinois
* 2008: University of Alabama
* 2009: University of South Florida[3]
* 2010: University of Georgia[4]
—-
What’s the over/under on Ealey playing for UGA in the BOI game? I say, he plays. It’s UGA. They always let you off the hook.
Jason
February 8th, 2011
12:20 pm
How come no one is surprised by this typical Georgia Thug behavior?
jasont13
February 8th, 2011
12:20 pm
Ha Ha, criminal activity????? He missed a discipline run and a tutoring session and its criminal activity. If it wasn’t for the AJC we would have never heard about any of this. Stuff like this goes on at every school, however it is kept in house. But not at UGA where you have a media outlet who would rather promote the bad of a football program than the good.
Oversigning
February 8th, 2011
12:21 pm
Dawg fans better hope this Crowell kid ends up being everything he is cracked up to be cause it looks to me like the dawgs are pretty thin at tb. Ealey is obviously much better than King but it looks like Richt is running him off to make room since Georgia oversigned.
I see a pattern here. Georgia oversigns, brings in a highly touted player, and Richt uses one missed run as an excuse to run a player off the team to make room on the roster. In other words Richt “cut” the player. Sound familiar? Looks like Logan Gray got run off the team too since he isn’t going to be the starter. Maybe we need to look a little more deeply into Richt and his running players off- “cutting them” to make room for other players since Richt oversigned this year.
Now some of these moronic dawg fans may something stupid like a player or 2 transferred(really they’re being cut) which makes room or they may say a few players enrolled early so it won’t count against the official class that enrolls in the fall. But isn’t that exactly why Saban and other coaches oversign- cause of transfers and early enrollees who won’t count against the class? Looks like the Georgia hypocrisy is in full gear.
Left the Barn door open
February 8th, 2011
12:22 pm
Cuz great post in your own right.. Nick Fairley glad to see your as big a tool as a blogger as you were as a player…
Left the Barn door open
February 8th, 2011
12:22 pm
Oversigning amazing you get to be a bigger tool day after day!
jasont13
February 8th, 2011
12:23 pm
Hey Fairley you left off Notre Dame’s 11 players being arrested back in 2009….
Globeflyer
February 8th, 2011
12:23 pm
Gotta do something to make room for that “Dome Start” in few months…..
jasont13
February 8th, 2011
12:23 pm
please explain how UGA OVER signed?
Sad Dawg
February 8th, 2011
12:24 pm
Crowell does not seem to be very intelligent or intelligible. Is this what Richt looks for these days to build the “Dream Team”? Crowell will be very lucky to qualify academically. Even if he does qualify he won’t be able to maintain eligibility. I can hear his first interview after a game…..” Day wuz tryin to takkle me but I wuz able to run fasta dan dem. It be great to be a Bulldog shonuff”. We will be lucky to go 6-6 this year. I am over it.
jasont13
February 8th, 2011
12:24 pm
Last time I looked UGA signed 26. Two count towards last years scholarships. So if my math is correct 26-2= 24… Thats less than the 25 you can enroll at one time.
BMac
February 8th, 2011
12:25 pm
For all of you idiots condemning Richt for telling the kid he could start day one… get your facts straight. He didn’t gaurantee Crowell anything. And I will bet anyone that he will not start against BSU. He said, “imagine yourself as Georgia’s starting running back.” He will be there for 4 years that doesnt mean he has to start all 4. Also, Richt quoted in his NSD press conference that Crowell “might” get the ball on opening day with all of these other RB issues… Nonetheless he is going to have to work, and prove himself to earn that chance. As for Ealey, as much as I would love for him to get his act together and graduate at UGA, he’s had multiple screw ups and opportunities to turn it around. Don’t see it happening, make the thug an example and send him packing
Eatcrackers/can'twhistle
February 8th, 2011
12:26 pm
Joe T., Kasay, now Will Friend. Throw in a little Bobo and what a staff! Let’s all get some chewin tobacco and go huntin! Could Richt do any more to self-destruct? This new AD is more of the same. He’s going “Old School” What a program!! With this Joe T. guy, you’re going to have a revolt on your hands.
Katherine
February 8th, 2011
12:26 pm
who cares?
February 8th, 2011
11:38 am
Katherine, how long did it take for you to think up that witty repartee?
Just stating the obvious
dawgfacedboy
February 8th, 2011
12:26 pm
Oversigning- you are obviously clueless.
Th(UGA) strikes AGAIN
February 8th, 2011
12:29 pm
Oh wow, the SEC has people getting in trouble what a surprise.
SOUTH EASTERN CRIMINALS
Cullowheedawg
February 8th, 2011
12:29 pm
Well Ealey needs to do some serious thinking about what he wants. He has had every opportunity to be the man in Athens and he has been closer to being the thug. If he stays, he needs to know that he has to work his way out of the “s***house” to get back into the dawghouse with his team mates. If he does not want to make that effort, then he would be better off to move on. Caleb and Washuan should be on the second or scout team this spring and fall, if they want to try to earn a spot on the regular team, not as starters unless they earn it.