UGA fans should curb their enthusiasm over Rogers’ arrest
That rumble you heard earlier today was the sound of laughter rolling across the great state of Georgia. Da’Rick Rogers, the receiver from Calhoun who famously spurned the Bulldogs to sign with Vince Dooley’s son at Tennessee, was arrested in Knoxville at 1:50 a.m. for disorderly conduct after what we old folks used to call a barroom brawl.
(If you haven’t read esteemed colleague Chip Towers’ explanation of the matter, please do. The Chipster is to college recruiting as Target is to shopping — comprehensive and classy.)
It’s human nature to delight in the misfortune of a rival, especially a rival that snatched a recruit who’d committed to you eight months before Signing Day. But we must also note, for the sake of fairness, that the Georgia program isn’t immune to arrests — not of teenage athletes, not even of a 40-year-old athletics director.
I was talking to a Georgia Tech man last weekend, and he was trying — and mostly succeeding, I should report — not to chuckle over Damon Evans’ plight. Because we old folks can tell you young ‘uns that the fan base that laughs today is invariably the next to be embarrassed. (It’s uncanny how that works, but work it does.)
No school holds the patent on good behavior. No school can ever be inoculated against the misjudgments of young athletes, or even 40-year-old ADs. I understand why Georgia fans find Rogers’ arrest amusing, but I’ve also been around long enough to caution against irrational exuberance.
There’s always another arrest waiting to happen in a college town, and that town could well be yours. Bradley’s Rule: Tempt not the football gods by busting a gut laughing, lest tomorrow ye weep bitter tears.
Update: Tennessee coach Derek Dooley announced Friday night he has kicked safety Darren Myles Jr., who’s from Atlanta’s Carver High, off the team and indefinitely suspended Marlon Walls and Greg King for their part in the incident. Da’Rick Rogers has not been suspended.
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409 comments Add your comment
J
July 9th, 2010
8:26 pm
Remember Joe Hamilton
Bacarri Rambo
July 9th, 2010
8:28 pm
Hey Mark tell Da’Rick I’ll be waitin outside jail for him… 3-5 years from now.
Buddy El
July 9th, 2010
8:31 pm
PI$$onadawg: What diference does it make whether she was a white chick or not. Are you some kind of white supremist?
Iowa corn fed dawg boys
July 9th, 2010
8:32 pm
Hey folks remember us? We can play pretty good football too. We dont need all the hoop la and camera’s, bling and hat tricks. We keep our nose clean and stay out of trouble too. Yes we may be rated only 3 star’s but with a smart savvy head coach we can win championships. Give us a call !
Buddy El
July 9th, 2010
8:34 pm
Large Orange: If Hillbilly U has many more events of this type(half the team involved) Coach Dooley will have to ask for student walkons to field a team.
Ron Mexico
July 9th, 2010
8:35 pm
I think you got that title now UT guy LOL. We may have briefly taken after Miami took a break, but it is officially your schools title now bro. Armed robbery/gang beatings/probably more(don’t keep up with the sherberts that much) > Adultery/forgetting middle name/driving a moped the wrong way/feeling up a girl/dui/and anything else you got.
Kenny Anderson
July 9th, 2010
8:38 pm
I’m is!
WalMart Lingerie Department
July 9th, 2010
8:40 pm
Great News we just got a new shipment of red panties at all stores in Georgia in sizes up to XXXXL to fit even the fattest UGA redneck. Unfortunately, the Damon Evans mugshot t-shirt is on back order but we expect to have them really soon. Sic’em Dawgs!
Some Lame Name Here
July 9th, 2010
8:40 pm
I hope all you nuts are not reproducing
crusher dawg
July 9th, 2010
8:44 pm
Since some of the others have been punished then why hasn’t Mr. Rogers. If he isn’t punished then there is definitely something wrong in K-Town.
Hey Large Orange
July 9th, 2010
8:46 pm
The “little” ut has the market cornered on thugs… in less than a year, ut football players have committed ARMED ROBBERY, stole from a dept store and nearly beat a cop to death… stay safe, stay out of Knoxville.
Time Out
July 9th, 2010
8:46 pm
No alchohol was involved. No underage drinking in Bar Knoxville. Give me a break.
Red
July 9th, 2010
8:48 pm
Amazing how Dawg fans are piling all on top of a 18 and 19 year old. Stupid teenagers making stupid decisions are one thing….an adult running your athletic department with panties in his lap driving drunk? Perhaps when your own backyard is clean you can feel free to jump on teenage kids.
nash
July 9th, 2010
8:50 pm
Ha Ten. I hope you get stuck with Nash Nance and he stinks up the place to high heave when you play Ga
Iowa corn fed dawg boys
July 9th, 2010
8:50 pm
hey red ……we are not stupid and we play bt the rules! Its all about character !
Bride of Chucky Knapp
July 9th, 2010
8:52 pm
I bet these chumps didn’t even get any orange panties out of the deal.
FalconUGAFan
July 9th, 2010
8:52 pm
One question for you Mark…Where were you when the GT folks were launching on UGA for Damon Evans? (And still are by the way).
Bride of Chucky Knapp
July 9th, 2010
8:53 pm
Red, I’m more worried about the teenaged kids lookin’ to jump on me.
Scott W.
July 9th, 2010
8:53 pm
Apparently Bradley only likes muckraking when he’s doing it.
» Knoxville, the black-eye capital of the SEC John Clay’s Sidelines
July 10th, 2010
7:58 am
[...] After Tennessee arrests, Georgia fans shouldn’t judge, writes Mark Bradley of the AJC. [...]
Remember what I said about not gloating over Da'Rick? | Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2010
11:41 am
[...] I cautioned Georgia fans about not gloating over the arrest of Da’Rick Rogers, the Tennessee signee who spurned the Bulldogs at the 11th hour. I mentioned that these things have [...]
Ted M
July 10th, 2010
11:55 am
Ha… Mark you are a prophet! Of course 2 thirds of your blogger’s are going to blame you for the last 2 UGA players arrested, you know, because of your alleged jinx.
george
July 10th, 2010
11:55 am
and 2 more arrested in athens this morning. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA god uga is pathetic
Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2010
11:56 am
Wouldn’t the jinx have worked the other way, Ted M? Generally if I suggest something might happen, it does not.
ro
July 10th, 2010
11:58 am
Woops we got a chuckle and now its everyone elses turn to chuckle at us. 2 arrests last night. 1 for hit and run, driving on a learners permit and underage possession and the other for underage possession. Not to mention the poor guy who, even thought will prob be found not guilty, cant even spell his middle name. Hope you didnt laught too hard at Tenn’s misfortune because they will be laughing at us now. And HOW does a kid get to college and cant even spell his own last name??? Gee i wonder. Such a comment on the US educational system
like a Fox
July 10th, 2010
12:02 pm
Not to be out done by UT…..UGA steps up to the plate , once again to steal the thunder from the VOLS with thier own double arrest !!!
ro
July 10th, 2010
12:02 pm
woops my bad. Cant even spell his own middle name i meant. Sorry bout that
GT79
July 10th, 2010
12:06 pm
UGa players arrested last night in Athens for underage drinking and carousing….not exactly a surprise there…given their role model. HAHAHAHAHAHA!! GO Jackets!!!!!
thug_poker
July 10th, 2010
12:07 pm
UGA to UT–I’ll see your arrests and raise you two more thugs…….
DonDawg
July 10th, 2010
12:12 pm
As Jimmy Buffet sings, “there is no Dumb a$$ vaccine”
SSIgator
July 10th, 2010
12:16 pm
At least UGA will be #1 at something.
like a Fox
July 10th, 2010
12:21 pm
Mark, didn’t you know that you are “damned if you say and damned if you say not” can’t win…..
Dave
July 10th, 2010
12:22 pm
You are right Mark, UGA fans should not judge – like you do with every single article you write.
Chronos
July 10th, 2010
12:23 pm
Time’s up doggies
Pat Little
July 10th, 2010
12:32 pm
Mark, do you have ESP or did you put a curse on the DAWGS? Now two of our players have been arrested, one looks really serious.
Mark Bradley
July 10th, 2010
12:32 pm
I don’t have ESP, Pat Little. Just ESPN.
cdog
July 10th, 2010
12:35 pm
THE MORE I READ THESE BLOGS, IT LET ME KNOW HOW SICK, WARPED AND TWISTED PEOPLE ARE.THEY HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR THEIR FELLOWMAN.WE A SODOM AND GOMMORHO SOCIETY.EVERYTHING IS A JOKE NO MATTER HOW PEOPLE ARE HURT.ONE DAY LIFE WON’T BE A JOKE.THIS IS FOR ALL OF US.
Vol Man
July 10th, 2010
12:36 pm
Hey little doggies, want some hot sauce for that crow?
george
July 10th, 2010
12:37 pm
http://www.sportsargumentwiki.com/index.php?title=Fulmer_Cup
This about sums it up. Come on UGA you are very close and if you keep up the good work you might finally win something! I will be pulling for you
NOTSO FAST
July 10th, 2010
12:37 pm
Let the school without problems laugh first. We shouldn’t hear much laughter.
Steve
July 10th, 2010
12:40 pm
And it took all but 12 hours for karma to set in again. I wrote after the damon evans arrest that there is a major problem at uga for alcohol abuse among not just the student body but also the employees as far up as evans. Many said prove it. Who else. Doesn’t several arrests each month prove it? Or will you continue to live in denial. I feel sorry for Mark Richt having to baby sit so many players who have drinking problems. It’s like having 10 Lindsay Lohan’s on your team. This doesn’t even touch the student body nor the instructors and employees at Uga. Michael Adams continues to ignore the problem. No one takes responsibility for what has become an epidemic in Athens. Maybe it will take people dying, like what happened in Atlanta recently, for something to happen and change the culture there. Or perhaps they enjoy their debauchery. It will eventually end in more chaos and CMR should just leave before the disease takes over his life.
MIS
July 10th, 2010
12:45 pm
Steve you are right about a alcohol culture problem in Athens. It is geting worse. There is no telling how many higher ups have been let off.
ViningsDawg
July 10th, 2010
12:48 pm
Bradley you were right and this morning we have two arrested again. People have to remember these are kids, but I really don;t understand why some schools such as UT and UGA have more arrests than others. I wish we could bring back the football dorm. Damn Big Ten.
Alabama Jack
July 10th, 2010
12:48 pm
UGA – University Graduating Alcoholics
AlwaysAVol
July 10th, 2010
12:48 pm
It would appear Karma’s getting time and a half this week. My sympathy to the families, victims and students, of all involved. I do like how Coach Dooley seems to be stepping up to the plate on this one though. Every time Phil stepped up to the plate he had a knife and fork (couldn’t resist).
Savannah Fan
July 10th, 2010
12:49 pm
10 Lindsays at halftime might send a message
Brock
July 10th, 2010
12:54 pm
and the hits just keep on coming!!!! 2 more football players arrested from the mighty uga. Boy i tell ya, your football program is an absolute embarrassment to the state of ga.
KeithB
July 10th, 2010
12:56 pm
Looks like Mark was right. The Bulldog nation laughed too soon, now have problems of their own. Look, my take is that these are college kids that do college kid things. Since they are higher profile than the normal student body, they are held at a higher standard. John Smith does this, doesn’t make the paper. The thing is, there’s always another pretty good kid just waiting in the wings for a shot.
CDAWG
July 10th, 2010
1:06 pm
Mark I read your article yesterday and slept on it; what I came up with is that everyone gives us hell when something happens at UGA so I would think payback is in order here. We would not give this one much thought if it were someone else at UT, but it’s not, it is traitor “Duh Rick.”
Gt4ever
July 10th, 2010
1:09 pm
This is sooooo funny, how some of you Einstein’s associate what these football players are doing to them being young college kids. That’s PATHETIC, these are thugs, period….. They are recruited for their prowess on the football field. UGA and UT have the most, especially UGA, because their leaders are DEVOID of any morality…… Yes, Mark Richt is the biggest HYPOCRITE of the bunch. He has proven to have NO discipline, and he holds very few of his players accountable, except when he is forced by other people. CMR continues to lead not by example, but by constantly making excuses for his players actions. This is why football at UGA is in a state of Flux and continues to deteriorate. So be it, UGA has always been a football factory and will continue to be a football factory!