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
ozzfest
November 1st, 2011
3:44 pm
Please suspend MIKE BOBO, too.
KBP
November 1st, 2011
3:45 pm
How is this Richt’s fault? How can anyone expect a coaching staff to “control” 85 kids? Instead of raising questions about Richt, why not try to interview their parents? Richt has responded with discipline to every infraction that was made public. Far too much blame on him for these kids behavior and far too much credit to Saban for being tough on discipline. He players get in trouble too. Totally agree with recruiting several top running backs. If Crowell does not get kicked off the team before his junior year, he’ll probably leave for the draft anyway.
Apalachicola
November 1st, 2011
3:45 pm
The song remains the same.
Bogey
November 1st, 2011
3:45 pm
@Omnipotent One. Confirmed by whom? You?
ALL YOU DAWGS ARE HYPOCRITS!!!
November 1st, 2011
3:45 pm
When this happens at other schools (LSU, etc.) al you self-righteous, indignant fools (I’m looking at you DawginLex and JB) are the first ones to call out the other program for not being tough on discipline. This happened the THURSDAY before the Florida game…and they are suspended for the New Mex game?!?!? You all have lost once and for all your credibility…not that you ever had any…HYPOCRITS!!!
Mtn Dawg
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
You haters just take a hike. Richt is going no where. If you don’t like UGA find another school to hate. Chill out. They’ll be back for Auburn. The sad thing is Samuel out for the season. That’ll hurt.
Question
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
It is rumored and was discussed on various sports-talk radio today that the violations actually occurred before the Florida game. Is it a violation of rules to allow players to violate team rules, play in a big game, and then suspend them for a non-sense game? That doesn’t seem “by the book”.
UGA’s off the field problems have been a joke for some time now.
St. Mark-King of Discipline
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
I’m absolutely shocked that Saint Mark would drop the hammer on these guys just days before the Dawgs big matchup with mighty New Mexico State. I’m sure he did this “because he loves them”. You can always count on CMR to make the tough decisions!
Bruce Mac
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
Just glad we could make your day Schultz. You always love to write negative stories about UGA and incorrectly pick them to lose. I guess you can’t read, the man said they were suspended for one game. DUH, you are a complete DA and I have no idea why the AJC employs idiots like you.
Scholarship
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
Saving his job trumped suspending players before UF game.
Pswole GT
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
ESPN says failed drug tests from last Thursday…
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7178202/georgia-bulldogs-suspend-three-running-backs-one-game
Apalachicola
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
“If Crowell does not get kicked off the team before his junior year, he’ll probably leave for the draft anyway.”
Nah… The war’s over.
Denver Dawg
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
and THIS was “our Lattimore”?
we shouldn’t put up with this crap at UGA
ThUGA again.....
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
Must have not closed their eyes during prayer….Richt is wrong on one point (well,at least in this story), this IS the “Georgia way” … I want to vomit instead of tell people I’m a UGA grad and fan…. BTW, Crowell showing every sign he thinks he “special” and wants to be a thug…this is going south fast and I predict he’ll transfer next year…Miami, maybe FSU….you heard it here first….
UGA 11
November 1st, 2011
3:46 pm
Herschel Talker is without a doubt more annoying than most of the Tech fans trolling this blog. Guy can’t go one day without going off on CMR.
I’m not a Richt apologist by any means, but man… GET A LIFE
jawga boy
November 1st, 2011
3:47 pm
Schultzie……Knuckleheads is not what Richt calls em’….remember? Its “DUMBASS”,quoted in the AJC.
Bama Mike
November 1st, 2011
3:47 pm
The bigger question for CMR is what did he know and when did he become aware of it. If he was made aware of the infractions prior to the Florida game and either hesitated or failed to act then obviously there is a different set of standards based on the quality of the player. If the incident is after the Florida game then appropriate action taken and lets move on.
Time to take Mr. Crowell to the woodshed and have a ” Come to Jesus ” session regarding individual vs team commitment. Every decision comes with consequences. It is becoming more clear why the mother and father wanted IC at Alabama under the intimidating watch of Saban.
Dawg-on it
November 1st, 2011
3:47 pm
Enter Brandon Harton
Teamdog
November 1st, 2011
3:47 pm
If it happened before the FLA game I would have felt better if they were suspended for that game. If he held them a week then Richt has become as slimy as so many other coaches. I always hoped that UGA would do things right but I guess a win was more important. Makes this UGA graduate proud…
dougmo2
November 1st, 2011
3:47 pm
ESPN is reporting they failed drug tests administered last Thursday. Can’t get enough of the chronic I guess.
Phil
November 1st, 2011
3:48 pm
Why couldn’t it have been Walsh and Butler instead…..
Give Me a Break
November 1st, 2011
3:48 pm
This crap goes on in 90% of the programs and all the haters act like UGA is the only place it occurs? Other programs just don’t suspend. UT knew Reggie Cobb was doing cocaine but let him play against UGA in 1990. After the Georgia game, he gets removed from the team.
Go Dawgs
November 1st, 2011
3:49 pm
Crowell= Ealey part two. He is a lazy, pouting thug who will join the ranks of all the other so called can’t miss back at UGA. Wouldn’t be shocked if he isn’t a member of the team next year. To bad Samuel doesn’t have his talent or better yet, Crowell doesn’t have Samuels work and team ethic.
jawga boy
November 1st, 2011
3:49 pm
Jeff, Knuckleheads is not the appropriate word….remember? Richt likes to use DUMBASS.
football fan
November 1st, 2011
3:49 pm
you people kill me pointing fingers at Richt..trying to twist it into a way to bash UGA…need to look in your own backyards…Coach Richt has shown he doesnt mind suspending players breaking team rules…even during big games…unlike LSU..Florida..Aubarn…etc etc.. the point is he does it. Some of these other Coaches just hide it and we never hear about it..
Bucky Belue (hand it to Herschel)
November 1st, 2011
3:50 pm
call Herschel lol!
ALL YOU DAWGS ARE HYPOCRITS!!!
November 1st, 2011
3:50 pm
The difference is “Give me a break” is that you Dogs are the first ones to scream and yell when it happens other places. When you do the same crap you stick say “See, Mommy, everybody else is doing it!”
DawginLex
November 1st, 2011
3:50 pm
you only get fulmer Cup points for police arrests.
not being suspended by your coach
sorry haters
Fred Sanford Stadium
November 1st, 2011
3:50 pm
what was the violation??? anyone???
Scholarship
November 1st, 2011
3:50 pm
BIGGER than the program.
bulldog steve
November 1st, 2011
3:51 pm
I promise this would never get out at any other SEC school. Can anybody honestly tell me that every other school does not have the same problems with immature atheletes? Everybody else just shoves it under the rug and handles it “off the record”.
jawga boy
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
I think we move Figgins to Tailback , and John Jenkins to Fullback….I wouldn’t want to stop em’
Larry E
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
Does Georgia recruit any running backs that have any respect for themselves and their team mates ? Better start looking at brains and athletics. Love to watch the dogs, but losing a lot of respect for Dogs and college football.
Apalachicola
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
I really figured this was just an unfounded rumor when it popped up all over the blogs last week. Guess not.
DawginLex
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
So the drug test results took 48 hours to get back?
That would be Saturday and with the lab being closed, they got them on Monday and announced it today.
Anyone else want to try a different calendar of events?
Jim
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
Golly…I wonder why Thursday Oct 27 is such a critical date in this storyline. What could have happened on that date to make this story even more interesting?
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
Give Me a Break
November 1st, 2011
3:48 pm
This crap goes on in 90% of the programs and all the haters act like UGA is the only place it occurs? Other programs just don’t suspend. UT knew Reggie Cobb was doing cocaine but let him play against UGA in 1990. After the Georgia game, he gets removed from the team.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
90%? Do you have proof? Or is this just ramblings from yet another delusional fan, with an unrealistic justification for their team behaving poorly……..
Wrong is wrong, regardless how many people do it, and how few get caught or punished. Why is that so damn hard to fathom?
Jack
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
They were smoking weed during the bye week. Should have been suspended for Florida. I have lost all respect for Richt.
DesignerJacket
November 1st, 2011
3:52 pm
steve, hasn’t LSU suspended some star players a few times this season for failed drug tests as well?
Scholarship
November 1st, 2011
3:53 pm
THE MILES AWARD:
LSU – 3 points
UGA – 3 points
Ala – 1 point
USC – 1 point(Garcia)
Phil
November 1st, 2011
3:53 pm
“what was the violation??? anyone???”
Probably telling Walsh and Butler how bad they suck.
Go Dawgs
November 1st, 2011
3:54 pm
DawginLex….i’m going to believe that as well, lol. And for the ones that say the other schools sweep it under the rug, i’m pretty sure LSU just had 3 players sit for the same failed test against Auburn.
marcus kelly
November 1st, 2011
3:54 pm
What’s going on with the Georgia running continuing 2 stay n trouble.
DawginLex
November 1st, 2011
3:54 pm
Jack, if the results of the drug test were not ready for viewing before Saturday, what would you suspend them for? Suspicion of partying??
Michael
November 1st, 2011
3:55 pm
They all failed a drug test. Shocker.
PMC
November 1st, 2011
3:55 pm
I think this is worse for anyone on the coaching staff not named Grantham than it is for Georgia.
Let me know when they appear to be a diciplined, well coached football team.
Apalachicola
November 1st, 2011
3:55 pm
The discipline problems in Athens have become chronic.
dbc
November 1st, 2011
3:56 pm
Not that I’m happy this happened, but I heard this before the Florida game and mentioned something about it on the game day blog. I was pretty much run off for being so “slanderous” as one poster put it.
Scholarship
November 1st, 2011
3:56 pm
Miles eats grass- SEC Players smoke it.
GTBob
November 1st, 2011
3:56 pm
Anyone else want to try a different calendar of events?
That sounds like the best excuse Richt has. Lets go with that. lol.