Is Richt on a slippery slope when it comes to secondary violations?
Did Mark Richt forget UGA has a guy on staff whose job is to make sure the rules are followed? (Associated Press)
So what did you think of Mark Richt being tagged for an NCAA rules violation in the recruiting of Isaiah Crowell?
It’s a given that the violation, considered “secondary” by UGA and unlikely to draw any further punishment from the NCAA, is pretty picayune compared with some of the stuff going on these days in college recruiting.
The vast majority of UGA fans appear to feel it was definitely worth Richt crossing the line in order to land a must-have recruit like Crowell. A lot of folks admire his gumption in pushing the envelope.
But it’s worth noting that the true “missing man” in Richt’s recruiting stunt was Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Eric Baumgartner, who’s there to advise coaches what’s a violation and what isn’t.
The problem is that Richt didn’t bother to check whether his little skit was allowed. According to Athletic Director Greg McGarity’s letter to the NCAA about the case, “Coach Richt knew that the team could not use equipment or run a play to create a tryout activity but did not not check with the Compliance Office beforehand about the offensive alignment. … Coach Richt knew that the activity could not occur in the stadium, for the public to view, equipment to be used or for an actual play to be run and did not believe this constituted a game-day simulation.”
The SEC disagreed and ruled that Crowell donning a Georgia jersey and joining an offensive formation was indeed a “game-day simulation,” even in an indoor practice facility. A quick call to Birmingham before Crowell’s visit to Athens could have ascertained that.
This situation was different from the five secondary violations UGA reported earlier when former players Randall Godfrey and David Pollack attended Ray Drew’s signing ceremony at the recruit’s invitation. UGA had nothing to do with that but had to take the blame under the NCAA’s peculiar rules about what it takes to constitute a representative of a school’s athletic interests.
In the Crowell case, however, the wound (admitted a very minor nick to UGA’s image) was self-inflicted, a result of Richt getting sloppy while caught up in his pursuit of the Dream Team. It also was probably unnecessary if McGarity was correct when he told the NCAA that “UGA does not believe a recruiting advantage was gained as [Crowell's] mother has stated that her son knew he was going to attend UGA since he was a young child.”
A few years back when Richt had his players deliberately draw a celebration penalty against Florida, most fans applauded the gutsy motivational ploy. “Evil” Richt was hailed as a welcome facet to the coach’s generally straight-arrow image.
Is the Crowell violation a similar situation? Should that letter of admonishment in his file be accompanied by a private “attaboy” pat on the back? Or should we remember that when Lane Kiffin was crossing the line at Tennessee, some of us weren’t quite as dismissive of secondary violations by a head coach.
I guess the question is, where should we draw the line? Is it ever acceptable for the coach to break NCAA rules, even minor ones? Would we be quite so accepting if it had been Nick Saban handing an Alabama jersey to Crowell?
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390 comments Add your comment
monty
March 15th, 2011
2:36 pm
No one was paid and no request for “pay for play” was made by Isaiah’s father. Nuff said.
It's Time For A Change!
March 15th, 2011
2:36 pm
I have no problems with what Richt did. Was it a little Korny? Well yeah, but I don’t think it was a violation of any rule. Amazing how little things like this make a big stink in Birmingham, ALABAMA, but when all the obvious violations were taking place at Aubarn, nothing was done. Just swept under the carpet…… I’m just sayin…..
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:38 pm
DAWGS forever
March 15th, 2011
2:23 pm
Richts knows and abides by the rules and doesn’t look for loop holes. We have to believe hm when he says he didn’t know these were violations. It would take and IRS agent to properly understand all the rules. go DAWGS!
—-
Yikes! Low standards huh?
Let’s see, “hey Isiah, look, the team is practicing and what do we have here… we have 5 offensive lineman, a quarterback, a tight end, three receivers, but oh no, no running back! Oh man what shall we do!? Hey what’s your favorite number? WELL who’d guessed it, here’s a red jersey with that number! And oh, is that your name? Wow, this must be a sign. Why don’t you line up right there and we’ll run a few plays…”
Yeah, wow, you seriously think he didn’t know that? Wasn’t it on the other thread that the defending national champion coach of the Auburn Tigers is the one who saw Pollack there at Ray Drew’s signing day and filed a complaint? If Auburn knows these are the rules then I guess not only is Auburn better on the field, they’re better off the field and at meeting NCAA rules.
Seriously, there is no way to spin this to a positive and I sure as heck hope the NCAA show up to start asking question$ about what’s going on at thUGA.
Win P.
March 15th, 2011
2:41 pm
Understand why he gets the big bucks.
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:41 pm
2 violations = 2 strikes! Sure there is a third one in that nightmare team recruitment.
i’m going to need some popcorn, just like I needed after Georgia own the fulmer cup, after Georgia had the horrific start, after UF beat Gerogia, Auburn stomped Georgia, after Georgia lost to UCF and now this! Man, this is great stuff.
Ed (The Original)
March 15th, 2011
2:41 pm
I agree that this is a nit-picky violation, probably one that rises to the level of B.S. But I wonder about Richt’s judgment at times. After more than 30 years in college football as a player, assistant and head coach, Richt didn’t have some inkling that this stunt might violate some obscure NCAA rule? I mean, how many years has he dealt with the NCAA?
Kind of reminds me of the aftermath of the ‘07 endzone celebration during the UF game that Richt ordered (or sort of ordered depending on the story); afterwards he seemed kind of perplexed by the hoopla that followed. He never seemed to get how bush league that made him and his team look.
I don’t know if he’s disingenuous or just not that bright.
Richt may have been trying to build his “dream team”, but what Georgia football is sorely lacking are dream coaches. We’ve had the horses for years.
Montgomery Attorney
March 15th, 2011
2:43 pm
My clients robbed their victim cause Auburn violated
their commitment to them by cancelling their ATM cards,
and closing the slot machines at Victory Land.
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:43 pm
monty
March 15th, 2011
2:36 pm
No one was paid and no request for “pay for play” was made by Isaiah’s father. Nuff said.
—-
Which we all know doesn’t matter if the player didn’t know.
nuff said? I think so.
Although I hope crowell’s dad did, or maybe his uncle. I’d love to see UGA fans stance on that!
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:45 pm
Montgomery Attorney
March 15th, 2011
2:43 pm
My clients robbed their victim cause Auburn violated
their commitment to them by cancelling their ATM cards,
and closing the slot machines at Victory Land.
—-
you can put that dream right there with your dream team and dream season, none of it will ever achieve what you hope other than making your bed wet.
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:47 pm
Really? He didn’t know?
—–
Richt and the football staff arranged for offensive players to gather in the new indoor practice area wearing uniform tops during Crowell’s exit interview and to look up to Richt’s new office, which overlooks the area.
Richt, Crowell, who is from Columbus Carver High School, and his family then left to join the players.
“By the time [Crowell] made his way to the field, the team was in an offensive alignment without a running back,” according to a March 4 letter written by Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity to the NCAA that was obtained under an open records request. “[Crowell] was subsequently handed a jersey and stood in the vacant running back position created by the team.”
Georgia said in the letter that “Richt has reported that the idea was to create a feeling for [Crowell] that he was needed at the running back position.”
NCAA rules prohibit a game-day simulation.
sogadog
March 15th, 2011
2:47 pm
When I first heard about this I felt like it was a violation and Crowell’s Mama had let the cat out of the bag. It reminded me of UF putting recruits names up on the scoreboard in the Swamp. I dont see how CMR can say lining up the team and letting the recruit stand in at tailback is not a game day simulation. It is nothing but a game day simulation. McGarity argues Crowell was headed to UGA anyway, in that case, why pull the stunt in the first place? I hope we dont get hit hard on this.
Nick Fairley
March 15th, 2011
2:49 pm
Crowell: “Man, I went to Georgia and it was awesome. They let me know there’s a spot for me right da way! Alabama and Auburn didn’t do that for me, they didn’t show me da love… and they gave me this bulldog to hold up to the cameras and said I could keep him! Awesome. He’ll do great in the fight at Bad Newz kennels tonight!”
UGA '05
March 15th, 2011
2:50 pm
Someone please tell me why Pollack can’t be at Drew’s signing. Pollack is a reporter. I don’t understand how that is a violation.
mdr
March 15th, 2011
2:50 pm
I could not possibly care any less about this.
tony purvis
March 15th, 2011
2:52 pm
GooooooooOOOOOOOOOO DAAAAAAAAAWGZ…..Sic’em……WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF
Ed (The Original)
March 15th, 2011
2:52 pm
Bill, I wasn’t one of the Georgia fans who thought the endzone celebration was “a gutsy motivational ploy.” I was one of the fans who was cursing the fact that we had to kick off to one of the best offenses in America from the 7 1/2 yard line.
I also wondered why such a ploy was necessary in the biggest conference game of the year, against a bitter, traditional rival. If team spirit isn’t sky-high for the Florida game, you have the wrong coaches, the wrong players, or both.
dawgster
March 15th, 2011
2:54 pm
@Matthews Dawg…agreed with your comments, I responded back and put my two cents worth in but it didn’t post….I’m a little disappointed in Bill for this article…I guess needing to stir up the pot a little. Its amazing that this kind of stuff happens all the time in recruiting, but the AJC goes out of their way to find something negative towards the dawgs. Wonder why these other school local newspapers seem to avoid this stuff…..Anyway, Coach Richt seems to be dang if he does or dang if he doesn’t . go dawgs
ryan
March 15th, 2011
2:57 pm
It sound like this is yawn story Richt did a play with Crowell and David Pollack was Ray Drew announcement like its really hard core NCAA come on man .
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
2:58 pm
Nick Fairley for a rented DT who played one year of big boy football your a real expert aren’t you? You really think your thuggish antics will be tolerated in the NFL? Best guess is your cut off at the knees withing 3 plays of that late hit, pile driving bull crap you got away with last year..truth is you didn’t have a choice but to bolt for the NFL knowing you made way too many SEC enemies to get thur another SEC schedule with that fat aZZ intact. when did you the Champ of Chump ever give a rat’s rear about the rules??
Whisky Breath
March 15th, 2011
2:59 pm
Hey Bill, instead of calling it like it is, apparently you are supposed to be a some kind of homer.
Didn’t you know that? Ga fans don’t want you to tell the truth, just get that homer stuff down. Don’t make me have to tell you again. Bradley could use the same advise.
Fly down the field
March 15th, 2011
3:00 pm
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
2:58 pm
Nick Fairley for a rented DT who played one year of big boy football
_________________________________________________________________________
That is an incorrect statement.
VININGSDAWG
March 15th, 2011
3:00 pm
As our idiots keep complaining, will one of them show me what Auburn has done? There is no one on the board that can define one thing that Auburn has done. The NCAA has looked into the Cam Newton mess and found nothing. The FBI is looking into the Kenny Rogers / street agents crap.
Every school has secondaries but it is when you know you are doing it when it becomes a concern. Ohio State has had almost 300 secondary violations during the time of Tressel. That is inexcusable. I believe that the NCAA needs a rule that when you accumulate so many secondaries, you lose a scholarship. I believe that will curtail a lot of the flagrant secondaries such as the famous Saban Bump rule.
BULLDAWGS WILL ROLL BOZOS
March 15th, 2011
3:01 pm
JIMMY V IS A GONNA AND NC STATE WON A TITLE ON A SHOULDA BEEN CALLED GOALTENDING FLUKE PLAY-DAWGS ROLL AND N.C. STATE IS A SECOND RATE SCHOOL…HOWS THE NIT-OH WAIT YOU DIDNT MAKE IT…BWAHAHAHA
Paul
March 15th, 2011
3:02 pm
I bleed Red and Black. I love the Bulldogs, and I think the NCAA has some stupid rules, but you have to check out everything in todays stupid NCAA. If another school had gotten Crowell and had done this, Bulldog Nation would be up in arms. Just check and re check next time.
THE MAJOR
March 15th, 2011
3:02 pm
dawg gone….Nick Fairley will make more in one year than you will in a lifetime. Envy sucks soesn’t it Bud!
BULLDAWGS WILL ROLL BOZOS
March 15th, 2011
3:02 pm
AUBURN IS DANCING-AT A NIGHT CLUB….BWAHAHAHA…HOWS THAT BASKETBALL THING COMING FOR YA-SWEEEEEEPPPPPP
MikeP
March 15th, 2011
3:04 pm
Just saying
March 15th, 2011
11:15 am
“Puh-lease! Cam and Auburn go scot-free while UGA gets nit picked to death.”
————————————————————————————
Cam and Auburn did nothing wrong, UGA did. See how simple it is?
Vols_1
March 15th, 2011
3:05 pm
Six secondary violations in about a month. Winning the so-called Fulmer Cup last year. Good stuff, Dawgs. You have no room to criticize any other program.
Kiffin had seven secondaries in a year and you people were in hysterics. Apparently it’s okay for Richt to break the rules at whim.
snoopy
March 15th, 2011
3:05 pm
Bill – Are you on a slippery slope for writing one too many STOOOPID articles??
MCDAVIDDAWG
March 15th, 2011
3:07 pm
I think as the end of Richt nears, it was that important that he get the running back. Richt has little hope for success next year and none without a better running game. It could solve just one of his many problems. Not coaching for at least 5 years does present some problems.
anotherdawg
March 15th, 2011
3:08 pm
Anyone who knows Mark Richt, knows if he says he didn’t think it was a violation, then that’s the truth. Besides, if he had really known it was, would he have been talking about it? No, he would have had Crowell and everyone else involved keep it quiet. Let’s face it, the negative blogs are either people trying to be cute, or they are from rival teams that enjoy any chance to ridicule our program. Reminds me of the old westerns, where half of the town is always wanting to lynch someone, and that someone is almost always innocent.
snoopy
March 15th, 2011
3:08 pm
Uhh Vols_1… Kiffin in one season now has the NCAA at your door step.. What he did in one year (besides embarassing the UT peeps) will haunt your program for another few years.. Good thing you now have a good man running the football program & not a gimmik…
SickandTired
March 15th, 2011
3:09 pm
Where the line should be draw is pretty obvious. If he’s dumb enough to not know that it was a violation, then it explains why he can’t compete with the elite of the SEC. If he knew it was a violation and did it anyway, he should be fired for cause. He’s two faced and self righteous. He needs to be fired so someone with some intelligence and coaching prowess can get the ship righted before it’s back to the Goff era.
Georgia: The Wisconsin of the SEC
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
3:10 pm
Fly down the field thanks for correcting me I forgot the 2 games he started for the Tiggers in 09..VININGSDAWG last I looked Auburn won the NC this year..but your on point about so many secondary violations = lose a scholarship..that’s a good idea.
SickandTired
March 15th, 2011
3:10 pm
Hey, another Dawg….I know Mark Richt and he lies. He’s a real piece of work.
Do_Tell
March 15th, 2011
3:12 pm
Gentlemen and some ladies! Those NCAA folks have to do something to justifiy their huge salaries for the little work they do. Their salaries come from the blood and sweat of the football players. The NCAA is a joke. Schools should pull out of it.
black & blue dawg
March 15th, 2011
3:14 pm
SILLY STUFF— NOT PAYING THEM LIKE OTHER SEC SCHOOLS
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
MikeP you just had 4 players kicked off the team for violent crimes…one would think you would at least pause from your chest beating for a minute or two to ponder…how much background info was gathered on those fellows during and prior to recruiting them?
Ted Striker
March 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
Ticky tack stuff.
Saban
March 15th, 2011
3:18 pm
I’m glad I let Richt have Crowell. It helps him keep his job another year and on top of that I landed the MVP of the US Army All American game 5 star running back Dee Hart. Funny but I don’t remember Crowell doing anything in the allstar games. NADA! He got shut down and will just be another Caleb King washout.
NCAA COPS
March 15th, 2011
3:19 pm
Ted Striker,
Ticky Tack stuff? Only if you call intentional cheating ticky tack.
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
3:21 pm
SickandTired really you know CMR? Really and he lies….and is a real piece of work..Troll ! Oh and yes I’ve meet him too and members of my family have worked with him in the past. From the people I know and trust the theme is the same they would ALL want CMR to coach their sons as much for the man he is as for the coach he is.
Athens= God's Country
March 15th, 2011
3:24 pm
Bill
The Dawgs are in the tournament and you write this garbage? I thought every team did this anyway?
Is it illegal because Neon Badoe, Ricky Roe, and Butch did this in Blue Chips? They should fire Nick Nolte at Western.
Richie
March 15th, 2011
3:27 pm
Who cares!!!!!
Old Dawg
March 15th, 2011
3:29 pm
I haven’t read the NCAA recruiting regulations in a long time, but when I’ve read them in the past I was overwhelmed with the complications, redundancies and hallucinations conjured by those folks.
I’m equally overwhelmed by how far college programs will bend over backwards (or forward) to sign a 17-18 year-old who may or may not become a starter, much less an All-American. It’s all insane, but it’s also the way the recruiting wars are fought.
On another subject, is there anyway you can post some photos of the new indoor facility with your blog, Bill? Or maybe with one of Tim’s stories. I know it will be some sort of recruiting violation, but as long as CMR is wearing a red sweater vest, white shirt, red and black tie and silver dress slacks I think the tools at the NCAA will be cool to the idea.
All sarcasm aside, is there anyway we can see the place?
Bama Mike
March 15th, 2011
3:31 pm
We would not even be discussing this if Richt would have just brought out the special teams for a field goal formation. Seems that was all they were in in 2010.
Athens= God's Country
March 15th, 2011
3:32 pm
Old Dawg
Go to redandblack.com
Fly down the field
March 15th, 2011
3:33 pm
dawg gone
March 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
MikeP you just had 4 players kicked off the team for violent crimes…one would think you would at least pause from your chest beating for a minute or two to ponder…how much background info was gathered on those fellows during and prior to recruiting them?
—————————————————–
Goodwin from College Park, one of the Auburn players arrested, was recruited by UGA, fyi.
McNeil, the starting safety and leading tackler in the BCS title game, was going into his Senior year. He should have known better being a team veteran but each one of the players got exactly what they deserved…….a big boot to the behind off the team and time in the pokey.
Chizik acted promptly to the matter and it’s over as far as the team is concerned.
Also, enough of this “Liar Liar Pants on Fire” case against Auburn. Fact: Auburn does not have a LOI from the NCAA thus they are NOT under investigation. Only in the world of bammer and Georgia fans does the Liar Liar case count.
P. Bull Terrier
March 15th, 2011
3:33 pm
The NCAA seems to have become too focused on the technical letter of the rules instead of focusing on the intended spirit of the rules. In all probability, the reason that a rule prohibiting a game day simulation was written was to prevent teams from having recruits participate in try-outs or practice type activities. The spirit of the rule was to protect high school level recruits from being put into a situation where they are in a competitive situation with college level players and to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage by “practicing” with a recruit before he becomes an official member of the team. I doubt the intent of the rule ever had anything to do with preventing a symbolic gesture designed to make the recruit feel wanted. But when you start focusing on the technical letter of the rules instead of the intent of the rules, these are the types of decisions you get.
The decision with Cam Newton and his father is another example of this misplaced focus on the technical letter of the law. Everyone knows that the intent of the rule prohibiting a player or his family from soliciting benefits from a school was intended to cover exactly the type of situation that happend when Mr. Newton tried to sell Cam. The problem is that the rule didn’t technically address the specific situation in the Cam Newton case where the claim is made that the player didn’t know what the father was doing. Under the spirit of the rule, the Newtons are clearly guilty of an infraction that should have impacted Cam’s eligibility. Instead, the Newtons got off the hook on a technicality.
As long as the NCAA continues to focus on the technicalities instead of the intent behind their rules, there are going to be a lot of cases where the NCAA’s actions just don’t make sense to the rest of the world. It’s impossible to write a rule book that covers every possible scenerio, so schools, coaches, players, sportswriters, and fans won’t know what is actually a violation until after the NCAA reacts to whatever the perceived violation may be.
G'Vegas Dawg
March 15th, 2011
3:35 pm
During Lame K’s last dead period at UT he came to a certain high school to visit a recruit. He knew it was the dead period. He had his driver pull to the front of the school and go inside. His flunky went to the front office and asked to speak to the head coach. When the coach came to the front office the flunky asked him if there was a room in the building that was near an exit that was private. When the coach showed him where to go, he pulled around and dropped Lame off at the door. Lame entered the building wearing khakis and a black coat. Once he was in the classroom he took off his gear and threw on his UT stuff and proceeded to pull the athlete out of class to talk to him. Let’s compared apples with apples here. Mark Richt is nowhere near Lame Kiffin.