Big blow to Dogs offense: Mettenberger kicked off team!
Zach Mettenberger has been kicked off the team. (Bob Andres / AJC)
UGA just made the announcement this afternoon. Not many details, but here it is:
“University of Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger has been dismissed from the Bulldog football team according to a Sunday announcement by UGA head coach Mark Richt.
According to Richt, the dismissal is a result of violation of team rules.
A graduate of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Ga., Mettenberger had been issued a minimum one-game suspension by Richt following an alcohol-related arrest in March.”
Obviously, new details must have surfaced from the incident earlier this spring in which Mettenberger was arrested for underage drinking and having false IDs. Those don’t seem like charges that would get you kicked off the team, and it’s hard to believe Richt would have let him go through spring practice if he was going to dismiss him just for that.
And, of course, Mettenberger finished the spring with the best showing by a Georgia QB at G-Day.
Anyway, this leaves Georgia with just two quarterbacks until Hutson Mason gets on campus in August. Dogs fans better hope Aaron Murray really is the real deal!
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
331 comments Add your comment
CHDawg
April 18th, 2010
6:01 pm
Let me add, I think Murray could be UGA’s next Heisman winner, but you never no when someone will get injured.
Supes
April 18th, 2010
6:03 pm
Well, stop offering to kids who aren’t serious enough about being football players at UGA. I don’t hear Murray’s name mentioned, why b/c the guy takes being a QB at UGA freaking seriously and doesn’t put himself in the type of situations to get in trouble like Mett did.
I’m sad to see that a talented kid has thrown away an opportunity like this, to be the starter at UGA by acting like an average frat boy. What a waste.
Barkin'Dog
April 18th, 2010
6:03 pm
Toasted… you said:
This guy is gonna transfer to an SEC team somewhere, and light us the **** up when he gets the chance. I might even be cheering him on when he does.
Are you freakin’ kidding me??!! Anyone who says something like that is no Dawg fan! Get another team or change your tune, boy! Mett showed what he had and was… and CMR thought it was too much to tolerate. He did what needed to be done. NO MORE CRAP FROM PRIMA DONNAS!
Go pull your pud, but don’t bother pulling for the Dawgs, you turn-coat slug. Mett made his choices, and our head coach made his. This is what major college football is all about – especially in the SEC!
Sanford Drive
April 18th, 2010
6:10 pm
Too bad. I was pulling for him over Murray. What an idiot.
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:12 pm
Praise Richt for this all you want, but at the same time he has let other kids stay for doing worse things. If ZM did nothing else wrong, I fault only Mark RIcht for this. No way he should have kept the kid strung out like that. AND, IMO….Mett WAS the best QB at UGA. I hope he goes somewhere and lights it up as well. I WILLLL be pulling for him, just hope he goes to Clemson.
wag
April 18th, 2010
6:12 pm
Wow! Just got the news. He must have really messed up. I think his mom works in Richts office, so. I really think Richt is sick and tired of this crap and he is cleaning house. He got rid of his awful D staff and now this. For all you people who think Richt is soft, look out, cause I think a fire has been lit.
Toasted
April 18th, 2010
6:14 pm
Athletic Office now saying there is no new incident with Mettenberger that influenced this decision. This is rotten to the core.
jasont13
April 18th, 2010
6:15 pm
Something major had to happen for Mett to be kicked off the team. I doubt it was what happend in Valdosta. Also his mother works in the UGA football office.
Standing on the sidelines
April 18th, 2010
6:16 pm
Somewhat odd that a first time offense where underage drinking and a fake ID would result in dismissal, particularly if nothing else had transpired since. A second offense for the same things would warrent it perhaps. I will be interested to read the details if they become public.
Chuck
April 18th, 2010
6:17 pm
Zach Perrilloux… What a waste, son.
Alabama Jack
April 18th, 2010
6:17 pm
Its a shame that a young man has lost a great opportunity. After all, he could have been another “Big Ben.”
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:18 pm
Just heard from a source in Athens. Mett may have been involved in a sex offense. This could be realllly bad….
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:20 pm
He MAY have sedually assaulted a female student at UGA…..that is what it looks to be. Oh Damn…..
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:20 pm
sexually*…..
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:20 pm
Enter your comments here
saint simons
April 18th, 2010
6:23 pm
CJ really has the inside story here hahaha
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:24 pm
shut up saint simons. This really isn’t something to laugh about, even a low class jerk like urself.
CONFEDERATE DAWG
April 18th, 2010
6:25 pm
DUDE YOUR THINKIN OF BIG BEN…… RIGHT?…..
BigDawg
April 18th, 2010
6:25 pm
Strange but true! It is hard to believe that he did nothing else wrong and new information is coming to light about an arrest several weeks ago. Very sad day for UGA, he did show the best performance by far in the G-Day game, rocket throws, accurate long-balls, remember, one other was on target and dropped, would have been 7-10 for about 170 yards. Other QB’s reminded me of Joe Cox, here comes a rush, throw it, and often times big misses of the receiver. Hoping Murray really steps it up, sure would take another David Greene!
icedawg
April 18th, 2010
6:26 pm
Let’s hope that Zach responds to this discipline in a constructive way. In the pursuit of the idol of unlimited freedom our society has become authority haters and discipline haters. The freedom to do as the individual pleases has eclipsed restraint, moral integrity and character. The ill effect is evident on Wall Street, in the halls of government and in homes. We’re heading in the wrong direction.
great dain
April 18th, 2010
6:27 pm
What happened to the second chances all the other cons on the football team get? Montez was given three chances after beating on his girlfriend. There has to be more to this than whats being reported.
wag
April 18th, 2010
6:27 pm
Big Ben is probably not the best example these days. That is a good comparison Alabama Jack.
DawgFan24
April 18th, 2010
6:28 pm
Dammit, I like what I saw from Mett, sad day indeed. Very shocked at the news…Murray doesnt really have any REAL competition now. Hope he doesnt slack off b/c of it.
CJ Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:33 pm
No, this is not Big Ben. It is Mett. It’ll be out by the end of the eveniing I think. At least the talk will be. CMR will have a tough situation at hand….IF this is what it is and something like this would be the one thing he would get kicked off for immediately. Remember, this came from somebody that is involved with the team. NOT me.
Shame
April 18th, 2010
6:33 pm
Kay Sarah Kay Sarah.
option smoption
April 18th, 2010
6:34 pm
Now everybody’s reporting there was no new incident and new information is just now surfacing from the 5 count night. Are you kidding me. Don’t we have people who can get all the information we need to keep or not keep a player sooner than now. At least before we waste half the spring on a kid? Just damn.
brokebackvol
April 18th, 2010
6:38 pm
Hey, can we have him? We need a QB! GO VOLS!
(just kidding fellow Vols!)
Delusional Dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:38 pm
Wonder if Berger Boy was out partying again. I’m sure there were strict rules laid down for him and he must have stepped over the line (again) leaving Richt no choice…Now, not only are the Dawgs inexperienced, but thin at the position. Starting to look like Tennessee’s situation.
Rod
April 18th, 2010
6:39 pm
Met’s conduct got him kidked off the team. He showed up the other QB’s by celebrating and running around like a moron in Gday game but he couldn’t learn the offense and was way behind the other QBs. Last thing Richt wanted to hear was people like King questioning the depth chart. Problem solved thank goodness.
Mike S
April 18th, 2010
6:40 pm
Sad days for the Dawgs, Mett looked like a star in the making.
That said – HUGE KUDO’s to CMR for making a stand even if it hurts the team.
Let’s hope Murray is ready, and that Mason comes in ready to play (Get to studying that playbook son!!).
McDawg
April 18th, 2010
6:41 pm
look if i guy like me can make it through life w/o having been arrested-then these players are simply dumb (excluding moped incidents)–obviously this guy does not have his head screwed on right-if he gets his act together will make some team out there very happy–word from the players in spring was this was the guy with the “it factor”
Hutson Mason
April 18th, 2010
6:44 pm
The Hutson Mason era begins this fall BABY!!!!!
Toasted
April 18th, 2010
6:45 pm
Those cazy college kids…if the would just quit drinking and screwing…Off with their heads! Freaking hypocrites…how many of us are drinking a beer right now I wonder. I’m smelling some Michael Adams breath on this one.
ol ball coach
April 18th, 2010
6:46 pm
How y’all gonna have Logan catch punts now? Waiting until he starts?
Ga Tech Old Timer
April 18th, 2010
6:46 pm
I’m proud of Coach Richt for doing what is right for the school and program. He leads by example and is not afraid to make tough decisions concerning players who put themselves above the ideals of the program and school. And, I feel sorry for the kid who apparently has issues with being able to handle responsibility. Here’s hoping he gets it together soon and has a chance to showcase his talent before it’s too late. He’s missed an outstanding opportunity at UGA.
ol ball coach
April 18th, 2010
6:47 pm
By the way, Mrs Richt has a stronger arm than Mason.
Gator Fan
April 18th, 2010
6:48 pm
UGA must have another QB on the radar to recruit this year and had to make some room.
Big L
April 18th, 2010
6:50 pm
Damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn,damn. There, I feel a little better. Well , Murray, get ready bubba, the position is yours. I was sure that Mett was gonna be the guy. Now they can’tmove Gray to reciever because he will be the only backup. Richt better start talking to Christian Lemay hard. Just Damn.
Eassyy
April 18th, 2010
6:52 pm
Got to be more to this story.
DawgJones
April 18th, 2010
6:52 pm
This kid was never a winner in HS and maybe because he only had the tools and not the intangibles to be a winner….no big loss in my book…I questioned why he was here in the first place. So he looked good against a second team defense that has been lit up on a regular basis. Richt and Bobo have some work to do or they better do what they have not been able to do since they have been here…commit to the RUN!!!! Grantham…more pressure on you too!
Notso Fast
April 18th, 2010
6:53 pm
This is sad regardless of the team you pull for. I hope it wakes him up and and he can go to another team and take advantage of the gift he has been given. You also have to think that there is something we don’t know.
Richt's Butt Cut
April 18th, 2010
6:55 pm
Got to be more to this one…..
Small Johnson
April 18th, 2010
6:56 pm
Do you think Mett was driving the cab?
crazy dawg
April 18th, 2010
6:58 pm
This is a big loss however the player must know who is in charge. This can work i8n our favor in the long run if Zack uses bad judgment off the field it would only be a matter of time before it would cost us a game or two during the season. Also lack of self control could and would spread throught the team remember the Quincy Carter and Jasper Sanks years. Aaron Murray will be a great Qb for the dawgs this season and is a true leader on and off the field.I hope the recruiting of Christian Lemay picks up and make him a top target. Good move by CMR to put the fire out right away and let the team know that this type of off field behavior will not be accepted by the staff and team any longer
Big L
April 18th, 2010
6:58 pm
Hey cedski, he ain’t a thug, he’s a spoiled rich kid jackass.
Ben Roethlisberger
April 18th, 2010
6:58 pm
Look brother Berger, I told you there was no need to stand outside the bathroom that night. I had everything under control. Now look what you’ve got yourself in
Hoping For Better Days
April 18th, 2010
7:00 pm
This is sad…CMR took a stand and we all applaud him. Now…I told them to take a hard look at the Cam Newton project that Auburn now has. At least he had put his trouble behind him.
Hmmmmm...
April 18th, 2010
7:03 pm
Something’s rotten in Denmark…
Small Johnson
April 18th, 2010
7:04 pm
Maybe Richt should start requesting how many times these recruits have been disciplined in school along with test scores and grades.
Just A little tired of this Miami and FSU mentality that has come to UGA
Barkin'Dog
April 18th, 2010
7:05 pm
icedawg — well said, my man.