Crowell, others suspended — Dogs don’t need this now (UPDATED)
This already is the second time Isaiah Crowell has run into trouble. (Jason Getz/AJC)
(Updated with confirmation of failed drug tests)
Timing is everything.
A few days following Georgia’s biggest win of the season over its greatest tormentors (Florida), the Bulldogs suspended three tailbacks, including Isaiah Crowell, for the next game. But because Saturday’s opponent is New Mexico State, half the team could be suspended, and it wouldn’t make a difference in the result. It just means that with the team now down four running backs, quarterback Aaron Murray’s favorite call in the huddle will sound something like this: “Everybody go out!”
But, yes — timing is everything, and for Georgia this stinks.
The Dogs have won six straight. They’ve started to distance themselves from a 0-2 start. But now the news is not about the team being on a roll and possibly running the table for the next four weeks and winning the SEC Eastern Division. Rather, it’s about three players veering off course again, which threatens to derail some of the momentum the team has built in the past few weeks.
Coach Mark Richt has suspended Crowell (who also was benched for the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game for unspecified reasons), Carlton Thomas (who also was suspended for the season opener) and Ken Malcome.
All three players failed drug tests that were administered last week before the Florida game, two sources told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And so we have confirmation that, yes, these are college kids who sometimes do really dumb things.
Richt did not mention anything about the suspensions or drug tests at his weekly news conference Tuesday but released a statement later, saying only: “We have certain standards in all that we do, and their actions do not reflect the Georgia way. They will serve their suspensions, learn a lesson and I’m sure be better men for it.”
Now, there’s a lot of speculation out there about what happened and when it happened. The Twitterverse has gone nuclear with suggestions that Richt and school officials knew something was amiss last week but sat on it, so as to defer punishment until the New Mexico State game (which obviously isn’t as important as the Florida game).
Honestly, there are a lot of coaches in Division I college football where I would believe such a conspiracy theory to be true. But Richt isn’t one of them.
Athletic director Greg McGarity told our Chip Towers, “This has nothing to do with anything that [happened before] the Florida game. Absolutely not. … Certain things are found, and we act right then.”
Just when the Dogs finally got going, they stepped in it again. We’ll find out in the coming weeks how much this impacts the team, and it starts with Crowell. He is the biggest concern. He was benched for the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game (Richt never stated why). So this is at least two strikes for the team’s freshman starting running back. There is no need to amplify how important he is to the team. No. 2 running back Richard Samuel already is out for the remainder of the regular season after ankle surgery, so that’s four running backs off the depth chart.
Crowell clearly still has maturity issues. That’s not uncommon for a freshman. But it can’t comfort Richt going down the stretch of the season.
Running back hasn’t been the most stable of positions in Athens. Less you need reminding, the depth chart last season included Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, both potential returnees this year. But they suffered through suspensions and eligibility issues. Ealey transferred to Jacksonville State. King was declared academically ineligible for this fall and went to the NFL (he went undrafted before signing with Minnesota’s practice squad).
The assumption at this point is that Crowell, Thomas and Malcome all will be back in time for the Auburn game in two weeks. But nothing can be certain — nothing except that at a time when the Dogs are finally winning, the last thing they needed was for a few players to start acting like knuckleheads.
And that would certainly seem to be the case here.
By Jeff Schultz
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751 comments Add your comment
LakeDawg
November 1st, 2011
6:22 pm
FWIW I wouldn’t recruit any more players with “Predator” haircuts.
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
6:22 pm
Is the odor you smell up in Blairsville something akin to burning leaves?
whats a three point shot worth ?
November 1st, 2011
6:22 pm
puff puff pass….puff puff pass…..and those dreads are da bomb…oh where were we? ….puff puff pass
VolStar
November 1st, 2011
6:23 pm
Drugs and UGa go together like peanut butter and jelly! Light up another baby!!!
bi-polar dawg
November 1st, 2011
6:23 pm
does Robert Edwards have any eligibility remaining? that’s the kind of back Georgia needs to recruit.
coma toast
November 1st, 2011
6:26 pm
Edwards might put it on the ground every once and a while, but you couldn’t question his heart or effort. My favorite RB to come out of Georgia.
lawdawg1919
November 1st, 2011
6:27 pm
Do we really think for a second Crowell was going to play a single snap? PUUUUULLLLLLEEEEZZZZ. This is nothing more than an mandatory week of rest before Auburn.
How bout them BEES!
November 1st, 2011
6:27 pm
Just another day in the Trailer Park.
Dogs Run the Table!
November 1st, 2011
6:28 pm
Ga beats Auburn and Tech and plays Bama for the SEC title. Bama’s overrated—Grantham’s D can shut down their running game and their QB is average. Ga 26 Bama 24. Bet the house!
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
6:28 pm
These fine upstanding young men will certainly learn their lesson from this. Why if they screw up anymore they may even be suspended from next seasons’ SW Louisiana Tech game or even worse against the Bleeding Heart Sisters of Eternal Misery.
goodnight Irene
November 1st, 2011
6:31 pm
I would not recruit any kid south of Macon or north of Cartersville. Leave these country dummies alone.
Puff Puff
November 1st, 2011
6:32 pm
georgia’s last title — 1980. A long time ago. Lay off the drugs and win more.
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
6:33 pm
@Dogs Run The Table! – Quit Bogartin’ that thing.
evil empire
November 1st, 2011
6:33 pm
dogs run the table…georgia got beat by 21 the last good team they played…Bama is better than Boise…sober up…
Tiredolddawg
November 1st, 2011
6:34 pm
first…..lol
just like the energizer bunny…this crap in athens keeps going and going and going……
bet the ranch these so called violations happened the off week….but of course we could not suspend anyone during Florida week…
When will President Adams finally get enough bad press and put a stop to all this nonsense with this football program?
Eaassyy
November 1st, 2011
6:34 pm
At least they toke as a team.
derrrr
evil empire
November 1st, 2011
6:36 pm
i do agree with irene…there is more than enough talent in the metro area…these south georgia kids seem ill-equipped to prosper in academic settings…
evil empire
November 1st, 2011
6:37 pm
and i’d darn sure stay out of Columbus…let auburn have it…
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
6:38 pm
If his head warn’t always up in the clouds he might start running North/South instead of East/West.
georgiagirl
November 1st, 2011
6:39 pm
Auburn had four kick off for arm robbery this year.
BIG-D
November 1st, 2011
6:43 pm
They smoked some weed,so what!Jeff are you pickin New Mexico State this week!
How bout them BEES!
November 1st, 2011
6:48 pm
Evil Empire: Using the term academic setting went talking about UGA, is an Oxymoron.
baddawg
November 1st, 2011
6:49 pm
What is wrong with our stupid running backs? First it was Ealey, King and D. Jackson. Now its Crowell, Thomas and Malcome! Come on wannabe thugs your not in the hood!
BG
November 1st, 2011
6:50 pm
UGA and Kentucky are the only two teams in the SEC that suspends a player for a first time failed drug test.
promethius
November 1st, 2011
6:51 pm
So this is what I heard CMR say if I am a player: If you smoke weed and are caught, you will get suspended for “a” game. Hell, I’d got fired or never even gotten the job in the first place. Get real UGa and all other schools that treat this in the same fashion. You are all shameless.
Delusional "Mutt" Fans
November 1st, 2011
6:53 pm
As usual, Mutt Fans come up with all types of excuses for their thuggish players and yet, when another team does it such as (Auburn), so many of you have so much to say…. UGA, home of the most childish individuals and fans known to mankind….
SU you whiney people
November 1st, 2011
6:53 pm
It happens at all schools – look at LSU – so LSU should fire their coach and the players do not respect him
hotdawg
November 1st, 2011
6:54 pm
I cringe every day I look on the AJC UGA section and hope not to see some kind of suspension. Guess that is part of football today. Happens at the high school level also. Dumb prima donna thugs!! Throw your future away and blame it on everyone else for your stupidity!
SU you whiney people
November 1st, 2011
6:55 pm
Funny how you guys say GA recruits these type of people etc – last time I looked every college in the USA wanted Crowell – so get over that old saying
SU you whiney people
November 1st, 2011
6:56 pm
Mutt Fans – really – please – come up with something new
SU you whiney people
November 1st, 2011
6:57 pm
I guess everyone that gets suspended at any level in any sport is now refered to as a “Thug”
dawgamania
November 1st, 2011
7:00 pm
Way to go Malcome! You wanted to transfer because you weren’t getting any playing time and now you have the chance and you blew it! Idiots!
tech1629
November 1st, 2011
7:01 pm
We at GT know that 4.0 represents academic excellence or grade point average. When 4.0 is mentioned at UGA it is usually the results of the breathalyzer test administered by the police or state patrol.
North Georgia Dawg
November 1st, 2011
7:01 pm
Fire Mclendon! We have had nothing but problems since he started coaching the running backs!
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
7:02 pm
You are suspended against the New Mexico Whatchamacallits! And now I’m braingin’ in Lady Maryjane, Mistress of the Hemp Whip to administer further punishment.
Beast from the East
November 1st, 2011
7:04 pm
Say it ain’t so! College kids smoking weed? Not in this day and age.
Much ado about nothing.
Coach Dawg
November 1st, 2011
7:06 pm
Guess will be seeing a lot of Boykin and Branden Smith in the backfield next game! Alex Ogletree should get some carries also! Crowell needs to cut the King and Ealey attitude out now or let Herschel take him in the ring and show him some humility!
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
7:06 pm
Puhleeze, we are not Whiney people, we are beery people. And obviously a few smoky people.
All
November 1st, 2011
7:08 pm
you Ga fans on here talking about beating Bama or LSU must be smoking what Crowell was.
Now
November 1st, 2011
7:09 pm
we know why Crowell was on the sideline so much…..he had the muchies
Washout Early and Cantspell King
November 1st, 2011
7:10 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha!!! I knew the UGA backfield would crash and burn without us!! We ran that state!!
Isaiah for Mayor
November 1st, 2011
7:10 pm
Isaiah’s favorite song is “One Tote Over The Line”.
Isaiah for Mayor
November 1st, 2011
7:12 pm
Saint Richt is a hypocrite by suspending Isaiah in the cup cake game instead of a big game like Florida, Auburn, or Tech. Typical Saint Richt and his thugs.
D. Nigh All
November 1st, 2011
7:14 pm
They DID NOT CRASH though they probably did burn a little sumpin’ sumpin’.
do
November 1st, 2011
7:14 pm
At least mark richt does something about it, the rest sweep it under the rug.
Isaiah and Thomas
November 1st, 2011
7:15 pm
Ya man! Hey Malcome man check out our Jamaican hair and weed. Come on man they can’t suspend us cause Samuel is hurt. Smoke up bro!
Herschel II
November 1st, 2011
7:16 pm
Crowell–the next herschel walker!!! He’ll “light it up” next year!!!
David T
November 1st, 2011
7:16 pm
Will folks finally connect the dots with Richt. Yes, he is a find person and I believe he has good intentions. However, he played at the “original thug U” Miami. That is all he knows and how he recruits. If you remember Florida St. began recruiting thugs when Richt was OC. Good job Richt! You have officially turned the University of Georgia into the present day THUG U.
GATA
November 1st, 2011
7:18 pm
We can only hope the light comes on with these guys and they see the opportunity they have, especially IC. To be standing in the backfield as THE starting tailback at UGA or any other SEC school is something every high school running back in the south would covet.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
November 1st, 2011
7:18 pm
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) in Athens….do anything it takes to save CMR’s job.