Paul Johnson slams NCAA for Georgia Tech’s probation
Paul Johnson wasn't happy during Tech's probation news conference. He's still fuming. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
Paul Johnson doesn’t cheat. Doesn’t like cheaters. Calls the suggestion that he would cheat “almost insulting.”
“I’m sure I cheated in board games,” the Georgia Tech coach said. “And when I played, yeah, you’d do stuff. Move the ball forward. Move it back. Kick it. Maybe grab a guy where you’re not supposed to. But heck, everybody does that.”
But not as a coach. It’s why Johnson took a verbal 2-by-4 to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. He says he did nothing wrong. He says the punishment slapped on Georgia Tech’s football program, including the forfeiture of the 2009 ACC championship, is wrong. He wants the school to appeal. That decision hasn’t been made yet, but the trophy has been removed from a case in the Edge Athletics Center and is sitting in an office closet.
At the very least, Johnson wants it known that the Yellow Jackets gained no competitive advantage before the conference title win over Clemson. Also, he’s not giving his ring back.
“I’m proud of what those guys did on the field — they won it on the field,” Johnson said. “The NCAA can’t take away the memories or what happened on the field. Let’s say somebody took something illegal. I’m still not convinced that happened, but let’s say it did. Well, you’re punishing 115 guys who didn’t do anything but work their butt off.”
Johnson said he’s still “stunned” by the NCAA’s actions. He never expected anything of significance would come of the investigation until, “They started ripping [former compliance director] Paul Parker in the hearing.”
He understood why the NCAA might be upset that athletic director Dan Radakovich informed him of the impending investigation after he been told not to, but said, “I knew there was no coverup. If we were trying to cover the thing up, we would’ve just said that Dan never told me anything. Their perception of what happened and my perception of what happened wasn’t close.”
Johnson’s perception: “That they came in here and talked to seven or eight kids and they didn’t find what they were looking for.
“I’ve been in this business a long time. You see all the things that are going on in college sports today, and you get slammed for this? I mean, come on now. I feel for Dan and [Tech president G.P. "Bud"] Peterson. I’ve known Dan since I got here. Dan Radakovich isn’t going to cheat or cover up anything. Did you get bad information or maybe make a bad decision? You can debate that. But I certainly wasn’t privy to any information we had.”
The Tech case will go down as one of the strangest in NCAA history. Investigators never found proof or established a paper trail indicating former players, specifically Demaryius Thomas and Morgan Burnett, received improper benefits from agents. But there was the suspicious matter of $312 worth of clothing given to Thomas. Radakovich also went against the NCAA’s mandate by forewarning Johnson (and indirectly players) of the investigation.
Any potential violations might’ve been secondary, but the NCAA didn’t like the way Tech acted during the investigation, perceiving administrators tried to hinder the process.
Johnson said, “We thought we were cooperating,” then pointed to a black book on his desk and added, “I guess if they say that book right there is red and you don’t agree, then you’re not cooperating.”
He named at least five Tech players who were interviewed during the bye week before the Georgia game — Thomas, Burnett, Derrick Morgan, Jonathan Dwyer and Cord Howard (as well as Morgan’s roommates) — and said they shuttled off and on the field during practice. Peterson, who was relying primarily on the advice of since-retired school counsel Randy Nordin, ultimately cleared Burnett and Thomas to play.
Johnson said an investigator also interviewed one of his assistant coaches.
“They tried to say that he [the assistant coach] was directing players to agents,” Johnson said. “He even asked me if I was directing players to agents. I told him, ‘Dude, I don’t even know what you’re talking about.’ ”
The assumption here is that the NCAA was not expecting a warm embrace. Maybe they’ve just got a thing about bluntness.
“If you went out and you did something to gain a competitive advantage, if you knew you cheated or you paid somebody, it might be easier to swallow,” Johnson said. “But when you don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong, it’s tough to take.”
The one saving grace for Tech is that the NCAA didn’t take away scholarships or issue a postseason ban. Also, this whole ugly process and resulting anger might help Johnson’s cause in at least one area with his players.
“Motivation won’t be a problem,” he said.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Earlier: Tuesday Countdown: Tech stashes ACC trophy; Ohio State’s really stiff ‘I’
Earlier: Georgia’s RB legacy takes another hit with suspension
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891 comments Add your comment
Tom Shane
July 20th, 2011
1:15 pm
@Gary
What was that? “I…swallow…115 guys”
Are you trying to hide something Gary? (see I can do that trick too)
Football Fan
July 20th, 2011
1:16 pm
I love watching Tech’s arrogance get in the way of their own success and they are too prideful to make the necessary adjustments to become more successful.
Tech has made a history our of acting like they are better than everyone else when it is apparent to everyone but them that they are not as good.
Tech reminds me of today’s teenages who feel entitled what the world has to offer although they certainly have done nothing to earn it on the field in the last 60 years. I know – 1990 – an orange bowl victory over nebraska who was playing a second string qb due to injury. And colorado still got a share of that crown.
If Tech didn’t have HATE for others, their program wouldn’t have anything at all to stand on.
DentalDawg
July 20th, 2011
1:16 pm
Did you sit in his lap for the interview?
Dean
July 20th, 2011
1:28 pm
As a Dawg fan I see this NCAA action as one of the most rediculous things ever. They should be ashamed of the way they compose themselves and really have no business serving in the interest of kids playing sports.
go
July 20th, 2011
1:32 pm
Congress please please investigate the NCAA..College board of regents pull ALL schools from NCAA
TruthHurtsInsects
July 20th, 2011
2:00 pm
I don’t cheat, well I might have cheated before, might cheat again, but didn’t cheat this time. Whatever Paul. The Slick Willie defense doesn’t work.
As far as I’m concerned, every Tech fan that looks down his nose at Dawg fans, thinks they’re somehow superior, cracks some joke about being the boss, rips on UGA for every little mishap or loss….you know the average AJC tech poster….DESERVES every bit of this. So much for that meaningless ACC title you ran your little insect mouths about for so long huh? Never happened.
Trade school full of cheats.
Hedgepruner
July 20th, 2011
2:02 pm
Or do like uga and hire Tolley to bail your ARSE out of all sticky situations like he has been doing in Athens since Mark Richt (Bowdens boy) got there ….THWG
Hedgepruner
July 20th, 2011
2:04 pm
football fan kiss my arse !!!!
Skeezix
July 20th, 2011
2:08 pm
Some folks don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. He should have kept these comments private.
TruthHurtsInsects
July 20th, 2011
2:08 pm
“If Tech didn’t have HATE for others, their program wouldn’t have anything at all to stand on.”
Truer words have never been spoken on the AJC blogs. Being falsely arrogant is bad enough, being ignorant while being falsely arrogant is pure comedy. Thanks for the laughs insects.
We Own You
July 20th, 2011
2:15 pm
PJ is a liar AND a cheat….he knew he wasn’t supposed to play DT and did anyway……what a low-class loser….
Talk about arrogance
July 20th, 2011
2:17 pm
TruthHurts, you’re too dumb to realize that you are describing yourself….whatever arrogance may exist amongst Tech fans pales in comparison to the arrogance of the mutts who year in and year out brag about their recruiting classes, and yet can’t even beat the likes of Colorado and Central Florida, let alone Florida, who even on off seasons beats the mutts like a drum. I guess you are too ignorant to realize that you are no longer relevant in the SEC, not even the SEC east.
PureEvil
July 20th, 2011
2:19 pm
Yet you call GT fans insects. Are you sure GT fans are the ones filled with HATE? UGA has a much better college football program than GT, so it surprises me that so many UGA fans get so concerned about GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:20 pm
We Own, Derrick Morgan was not the problem; Thomas was the problem (well, supposedly so, but in fact not). Both the ACC AND the NCAA had already said that neither Thomas nor Morgan were ineligible prior to the ACC Championship game. CPJ neither lied nor cheated in any way at all. The probation has come down on Tech because of DRad and his counsel. If you’re going to post here, at least post the truth.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:21 pm
PureEvil, they apparently not only concerned about GT, they are OBSESSED about GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:22 pm
oops, graamar (actually typing) error there—–they apparently ARE not only concerned……
PureEvil
July 20th, 2011
2:28 pm
I didn’t go to GT or UGA so I can’t really call myself a fan of either one. People who do that seem a little shady at best. I read everything the NCAA has to offer the public regarding GT and there have been so many other schools that have done worse and received far less. GT should appeal and they should be able to get the 2009 title and at least a reduced probation period. Based on the NCAA findings in the GT case Auburn WILL lose there BCS title from this year.
Ted Striker
July 20th, 2011
2:31 pm
I don’t think Johnson tries to cheat. It wasn’t his intent.
However the ACC championship was clinched using the services of an ineligible player. What’s more, Johnson, Radakovich & Peterson warned players in advance of an ongoing investigation in advance — in clear disregard of the instructions of the NCAA.
As for his comment about “they came in and talked to 7 or 8 kids and didn’t find what they were looking for” — so what? That’s not how most violations are uncovered. Most violations are uncovered by looking for one thing and finding something else.
Forget D. Thomas.
In this case the administrators (President, AD, Head Coach) were the folks that messed up.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:37 pm
Ted Striker, unless CPJ “coached” the players on what to say during the interviews (and if you read the transcript of the interview with Thomas, it’s pretty clear he wasn’t “coached”) then he is not guilty of anything, nor did he mess up. If Thomas, Morgan, or whoever, were held out of games, what the hell were they supposed to be given as a reason? Was DRad simply supposed to say, “Paul, you can’t play them; don’t ask questions”? There may be some stupid bylaw that says that DRad wasn’t supposed to tell anybody, but what else could he do? IMHO, this all just defies logic.
cluett peabody
July 20th, 2011
2:41 pm
johnson started at the high school level (like a lot of coaches) hired by coach russell at g.southern, hired at hawaii then navy then head coach at g. southern then head coach at navy and then georgia tech – other than working for coach russell never had a job at auburn.
hornblowermg
July 20th, 2011
2:43 pm
tech’s coach just makes me want to vomit. he coaches his blockers to use the “crack-back” block to the point that it is just barely legal, and then crows about how “honest” he is. what a liar! just ask Darryl Gamble what he thinks about how legal that coaches’ crack-backs should be. if Gamble’s leg hadn’t been broken from such a block the night that tech lucked out a win, then they wouldn’t have been awarded that win; their only win over UGA in ten(10) years. honesty rationalized.
GT18YJ
July 20th, 2011
2:44 pm
Ted Striker – who declared him ineligible? The ncaa didn’t. The ACC didn’t. Tech didn’t. Who did?
Get back to World of Warcraft, nerd
July 20th, 2011
2:46 pm
Bottom line D Rad was told NOT TO TELL MANBOOBS.
I’m sure at that meeting he agreed to those conditions.
He then went right out and told manboobs.
Maybe they don’t teach ethics at Tech BUT THAT IS CALLED LYING.
Anyway you slice it.
Lie again to the NCAA Tech and see what happens.
Get back to World of Warcraft, nerd
July 20th, 2011
2:49 pm
Wanna know how I know CPJ is a liar too.
He has stated on many occasions that no one has ever stopped his offense ( talk about arrogant )
Its been shown time and again when teams have time to prepare for gimmick manboobs offense it goes absolutely nowhere.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:51 pm
Warcraft, please tell me what the players were supposed to be told if they were held out of a game? What would you have done in such a situation? Would it be ethical in any sense of the word to tell a player, “you can’t play; don’t ask me why”? By the way, are you obsessed with men’s chests? Have you been hanging around all the arts and music majors in Athens too much?
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
2:54 pm
Warcraft, you want to tell me which team has stopped CPJ’s offense? The mutts certainly have not. The only team who came close to STOPPING it, was Iowa, and it was not because they had “time to prepare for it”; it was because they ran a DISCIPLINED defense that could rise to the occasion against pretty much any offense. Even then, however, Tech was still in the game with 6 minutes left, and had Nesbitt been able to throw the ball to someplace other than the ground, the offense would have clicked…..win or lose.
TV Watcher
July 20th, 2011
2:55 pm
Maybe the NCAA will cancelled the football season to get to the bottom of this. They have a double standard. Which is subject to interputation.
Paul Johnson
July 20th, 2011
2:56 pm
Maybe grab a guy where you’re not supposed to!
tiger7_88
July 20th, 2011
2:59 pm
@vince (July 20th, 2011, 10:21 am) been a season ticket holder since 1985. Was at the 1986 game and the 2010 game (and all in-between).
1986 – You stink and you got wet because you and your sorry fellow fans were destroying Auburn property and throwing objects at security personnel on the field. PERIOD. FACT. END OF STORY. When asked to leave an area by those enforcement personnel in charge of that area, my recommendation to you in the future? LEAVE. If you want to stay, sing songs, throw whiskey bottles and cups, and destroy property, then you damn well get what you deserve.
2010 – Nick Fairley speared Aaron Murray in the back. That was cheap.. That was wrong. That was PENALIZED ON THE FIELD. What you have a problem with is, like present day UGA fans, you have a coaching staff and team full of wusses. They couldn’t handle Nick Fairley. They couldn’t block him. And that’s why Saint Mark ordered the Code Red on Nick Fairley. Because he couldn’t handle him either. And if you’ve got a problem with some scraping, grabbing, squeezing, and jabbing while on the field from one player to another, I guess you are too young to have watched ol’ Erks Junkyard Dawg defenses back in the 1970’s and 1980’s who left opposing players laying on the field bleeding. They weren’t accomplishing those things through tender loving care, brother.
I must say that I am extremely saddened to observe the low, cowardly, wussy state to which Mark Richt has brought the UGA program and their fans down. It is indeed disappointing to see.
Paul Johnson
July 20th, 2011
3:00 pm
Dude, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:02 pm
hornblowemg, maybe you had better read the following —– A crack block or crack back block is when an offensive player starts out wide and comes in to block a defender who is unaware of his presence. The crack is normally preformed by a wide receiver or slot. A crack block is normally executed when a team wants to run to the edge. If a team wants to toss to the outside the wide receiver will run at the outside shoulder of the outside linebacker. As long as contact is made above the waist and to the player’s front it is legal. Defensive backs are taught to alert the interior defenders by yelling crack. This block can be a de-cleater if your wideout is tough enough. Many teams put the crack blocker in motion towards the formation prior to the snap also.
Nothing illlegal at all about that nor the way Tech executes it. If Gamble got hurt as a result of a crack-back block, then that’s just tough. Getting hit on a LEGAL hit or block is part of the game, and getting hurt is one of the possible consequences.
Paul Johnson
July 20th, 2011
3:04 pm
it might be easier to swallow!
hornblowermg
July 20th, 2011
3:15 pm
like i said, “you rationalize your honesty.” how convenient for a bunch of repulsive liars. i think that beating you nine(9)-out-of-the-last-ten(10) years qualifies for stopping your jr.high school offense.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:16 pm
Warcraft, you’re always on here posting meaningless drivel. Why don’t you man up and answer the questions you’re asked? Or are you too busy obsessing over men’s chests…..and who knows what other body parts?
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:19 pm
hornblowermg, you have only faced CPJ’s offense for 3 years, and you haven’t stopped it yet, regardless of the final results of the game. Prior to 2008, Tech ran the same kind of offense that THUGa runs. Or are you too stupid to realize that? The ONLY reason the mutts won the last two years was because Tech’s defense was worse than yours; on neither occasion did you stop our offense. Talk about rationalizing.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:20 pm
I guess what you are saying is that if offensive plays don’t work 100% of the time, then that qualifies for it being stopped. Well, hell, I guess Florida has proved year in and year out that the mutts’ offense isn’t worth a crap.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:22 pm
Even Central Florida proved that.
Tom Shane
July 20th, 2011
3:35 pm
@We Own You
Thomas was never declared ineligible by the NCAA. Get your facts straight.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
3:36 pm
Tom Shane, surely you jest……FACTS ??? Do you really think that mutt fans are interested in FACTS???
Tech-nically Blonde
July 20th, 2011
4:16 pm
@Tom Shane – Don’t you know that facts are for the arrogant?
hornblowermg
July 20th, 2011
4:54 pm
s.t.o.m. – please S.T.O.P.
you are terminally techie (i.e.just plain silly/stupid). two out of three WINS makes us THE winner.
jeffjacket
July 20th, 2011
6:16 pm
When ga. fans stoop to making fun of a coaches physical appearence its because they do not have the wit nor the intelligence to discuss the facts. Here you go, if you guys had a coach with just half the guts and fire of Paul Johnson you probably would have had a conf. title sooner that 6 years ago.
Give me a break, you guys cannot stand the fact that we have the coach you wished you had!
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
7:06 pm
hornblowermg, I didn’t dispute the fact that the mutts have won 2 out of 3 against CPJ, not that they have won 9 out of the last 10. That is an undisputable FACT (something you apparently don’t deal in on a regular basis). You said, however, that the mutts have figured out Tech’s offense, as evidenced by 9 out of 10 wins, when, in fact, Tech has only run this offense for 3 years. And in all 3 games since CPJ arrived, the mutts have yet to “figure out” Tech’s offense or contain it, and win or lose, I GUARANTEE you that you won’t this year either. And you also said that EVERYBODY has it figured out now and will stop it. On what do you base that opinion (again certainly not a fact)? Name me one team who has figured out CPJ’s offense in the 25 years in which he has been running it. Just because one of his teams loses a game or more does not mean that the offense was “figured out.” It simply means that the other team was better, at least on that given day. And yes, I regrettably but freely admit that in 2009 and 2010 (as well, I might happily add, as in 2008), the better team won on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Robin Of The Hood
July 20th, 2011
7:15 pm
Cam never got suspended by the NCAA only by Auburn for a day then was re-instated…..Auburn was never stripted of any wins, ended up winning the Natl Title and the NCAA makes a crap load of money off of merchandise with their logo on it.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 20th, 2011
7:17 pm
hornblowermg, I never disputed the fact that Tech has lost 2 out of the past 3 to the mutts, nor that we have lost 9 out of the past 10. But YOU stated that the mutts have “figured out” CPJ’s offense, as evidenced by 9 out of the past 10 games. CPJ has only been at Tech for 3 years, and Tech has only been running his offense for those 3 years. The 7 losses prior to that have absolutely nothing to do with the mutts’ figuring out anything regarding CPJ’s offense. In those past 3 games, however, the mutts have yet to show any ability whatsoever to stop Tech on offense, regardless of the outcome of the games. And you also said that everybody has now figured out Tech’s offense and it will no longer work. Do you realize that CPJ has been using this same offense for 25 years, and nobody has yet “figured it out.” That doesn’t mean, and shouldn’t mean, that CPJ has won every game he has coached in that time. And none of those losses meant that the other team had “figured out” his offense. Anything can happen in a given game, and the winner is always the better team on the field on that day. And yes, I realize that means that I think that the mutts were the better team on the field in both 2009 and 20010, although not really the better team either year. Similarly, in 2008, I believe that the Jackets were the better team on the field that day, although not actually the better team overall. The fact is that in none of those 3 games were the mutts able consistently to stop Tech’s offense. They haven’t “figured out” anything, nor has anybody else, and win or lose, the mutts won’t be able to stop the offense this year either. You can bet the house on that.
Brainiac(Dawg for life)
July 20th, 2011
9:10 pm
@Supersize that order: Those 7 years prior to CPJ coming to GT were spent preparing for CPJ’s Middle School offense since we anticipated his hiring by GT. Notice how much it has paid off?
Brainiac(Dawg for life)
July 20th, 2011
9:17 pm
@Supersize that order: You are wrong as usual. The reason UGA won 2 out of 3 is we scored more points than GT. That is why they keep score because in the end a win is really all that matters.
Brainiac(Dawg for life)
July 20th, 2011
9:30 pm
@tiger7_88: You really shouldn’t concern your tiny brain about Coach Mark Richt. He will always do the right thing You need to go get the NC Trophy out, clean and polish it and send it to the NCAA. Your Coach “Cheesenick” has really stepped in it now because he smart-mouthed the NCAA rep. Not that they don’t already have enough to give your cow college the DEATH PENALTY.
third quarter fan (couple years ago)
July 20th, 2011
9:31 pm
dog for life sure is smart.
Brainiac(Dawg for life)
July 20th, 2011
9:32 pm
@Tiger 7_88: When did Awbarn last defeat a Richt team PRIOR to 2010?