Blame Mark Richt? He’s not the one who’s embarrassing UGA

If Richt had a stronger policy in place, arrest == dismissal, instead of this weak probation that he has now, it wouldn’t be an issue. Players know they can screw up and only get a hand slap.

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Pick quality players with good character. Impossible? No, just tougher.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley. Mark Bradley said: Blame Mark Richt? He's not the one who's getting arrested and embarrassing #UGA. http://bit.ly/brZdji [...]

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While I agree that this is certainly not Richt’s fault, he does need to be tougher on the offenders. Sooner or later they have to get the message, don’t they? Man, one would hope so. I like the concept of punishing the “team” for an individual’s actions. Peer pressure is long-lasting and VERY effective.

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TL…really? The number of times that Bama’s program has been sanctioned/penalized/busted for recruiting violations…and you are going to accuse someone else’s program of being a disaster?

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Mark Bradley: Third paragraph, towards the bottom. Replace “charged” with “charge”.

This moment of pedantry was brought to you by a helluva engineer and the letters G, T and J.

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I plan on matriculating at Auburn this fall since they don’t mind having laptop thieves qb their football team.

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TL has a point. Bama may have a dirty past but Saban has the program clean and LSU was clean under Saban. The coach sets the tone.

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Here’s the Jackson/King arrest report, for those who are curious
http://www.redandblack.com/2010/07/12/police-report-ugas-jackson-admits-drinking-downtown-hitting-car-third-football-player-in-car/

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@TL, I’d argue that Alabama would rather keep their players out of the news as opposed to having a count going on how many arrests can get in the AJC like we do here. Out of 100 players on a football team, you mean to tell me 3 or 4 haven’t gotten in some kind of trouble in 3 years? Please.

I know for certain that the players in BAMA can get away with anything other than crimes committing bodily harm on other people. DUIs are a ride home for BAMA players. Trust me.

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Otto; true…Saban does appear to have things much cleaner…or at least, they are better at not getting caught!

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….. “Maybe Richt needs to be more careful about the players he pursues…” ???? I understand that some arrests are minor offenses, (like underage alcohol), but drunk driving? leaving scene of accident (hit and run)? Also, this is Athens. How expensive, especially in comparison to other amounts spent, would some kind of taxi pick-up for players be? If not allowed by NCAA – why the hell not? Drunk driving is far worse than a kid getting a free ride home, especially if it will save the kid’s (or someone else’s) life? Richt has to take blame, he is their “loco parentis” and must advise and provide alternatives for “his” kids. He can not be shocked to find out that kids drink alcohol in college towns and say that it is the players’ fault.

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with the forced resignation of Damon Evans a new message needs to be sent to those others, i.e., players, coaches, and administrators, who have been privileged to be selected to be a part of the UGA program… to whom much is given, much is expected….henceforth, zero tolerance…if you can’t understand that you must live your life in a glass house, move on….no option…deal with it or go somewhere else….you can’t tell me that you should expect a running back who drinks and drives to hold on to the football better…you can’t tell me that catching a pass becomes easier when you drink alcohol…get it right or move them out…

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More arrests at UGA correlate with the fact that Athens is THE ULTIMATE party town — a bacchanalian mecca for those ages 18-25. Hell, even the tailgating middle-aged adults get their fix when they roll into town. And if they’re caught, it’s not headline news. If these guys play football somewhere else, in a small town at a more low-profile football school, their “criminal” actions would most likely go unnoticed and and unscathed. Mark Richt can only do so much: you can’t take Charlie to the Chocolate Factory w/o Veruca, Violet, Mikey and Augustus indulging . . .

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Great column Mr. Bradley. Nothing more to be said!

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Speaking of discipline problems, I think Richt should go ahead and pull the scholarship offer to a certain quarterback from North Carolina. The kid seems to have a father who makes excuses for bad behavior. That will only continue in Athens.

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To say UGA’s football program is a trainwreck right now is a fair statement. I am an SEC fan, just giving my honest opinion. Richt lost control of those boys about 2 years ago. UGA’s problem is not bad luck, misfortune, or coincidence. It’s lack of discipline & probably lack of respect for coach Richt. Yeah he’s a nice guy.. and a good man, but obviously it’s not rubbing off. It’s not going to get better for UGA. I hope it does, but unless richt pulls a miracle out of his sleeve.. then UGA is headed for a disaster season. And then you’ll all be calling for his head so fast, your head will spin. But that will come about 2 years too late.

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Bama and florida……..Better system of covering it up……college boys, drinking, women, partying are the SAME on every campus. I bet Meyer and Saban have cut deals with the “chief” to handle it in house. Both those schools are very very successful and keeping Da Boys out of trouble publicly is very important to them. Richt’s MO is not to cut any deals. Now, their fans on here will holler BS, but I’m saying it’s happening, especially at Bama. Those guys wouldn’t arrest Osama if he was a starter over there.

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let call it the lebron syndrome all these pampered “stars” feel above the law and the rules don’t apply to them . to be fair not all of them but you never hear about the players on the team that volunteer with local kids clubs .you hear about the smaller percentage that makes the news in the police reports , I am sure its like that at every major college , and the second tier colleges you just don’t hear about their trouble because no one cares.
harsher punishment across the board is the only answer

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TL what are you talking about…Alabama no arrest in 3 years. Google Alabama arrest and you’ll find plenty in the last three years. You’re a fool to think that even the most celebrated programs don’t have their issues. Maybe you should branch out from the AJC as your only sport source.

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“I like the concept of punishing the “team” for an individual’s actions. Peer pressure is long-lasting and VERY effective.”

^^ THIS, although I’m not sure what exactly you would do, outside of making them run extra wind sprints

I have seen some people suggest that the athletes get their on shuttles, or escorts to make sure they don’t get into trouble. I, for one, am against this. They (the athletes), like every other student at the university should hold THEMSELVES responsible for their actions. Non-athletes do not get special treatment in situations like this, so why should they? How can you learn and grow as a person if you have to have someone else making decisions for you?

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Athens need less cops

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thank you, mark, for a good and sensible piece. all i would add to it is that the penalties handed out for the most recent infractions are provisional; they can change as more information becomes available. so people who are lambasting richt should calm down until final penalties are announced. CMR has stiffened up this off-season, and i hope and trust it’s the beginning of stronger institutional accountability and a change in the disciplinary culture in the football program.

dawg fans: don’t worry about TL and the tide until december. if they haven’t had an arrest in 3 years, then so much the better for them. let’s get our own house clean. another poster suggested that the whole team be punished when a guy gets arrested. i think that’s a fantastic idea. maybe the AD should have to run steps with them…

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Are you guys kidding with the accusations about “it goes on everywhere but the other polcie departments cover it up”? Sure it goes on everywhere, just not to the extent it has in Athens the last few years. If you want to continue to deflect blame and point fingers elsewhere then do just that. The problems will just continue. Grow up, accept responsibility and fix your own house…or not and continue to face the ridicule hurled from rivals.

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Mike:

I trust you!

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There were several other people in the car this weekend (according to the reports), but only the football players were charged? Not saying what they did isn’t serious but why were the others not charged and why were their names not smeared across the headlines? Is it not a story (or a crime) if you are not an athlete? Just wondering.

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Love the sin, hate the sinner!

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TL – Really? Try again.

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=10961162

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good old richt is only doing what he learned at crimiNOLE state

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Last year, around August 20th, a player was arrested. Right before the season. really? who was it.

How many has UGA had arrested since that time?

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The article is right on.

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thUGA is as thUGA does

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I don’t see how you can not blame CMR when other SEC programs tend to have some problem players, but with thUGA it’s perennial and predictable. It could be that while non of the SEC states can brag about their public education system, Georgia’s is atrocious, and so you get what you get.

One of the things I always liked about Tuberville at Auburn is that he didn’t put up with *any* nonsense and basically recruited not just for athletic potential but also for character. As a result, while there were a few legal issues for some players, it was always dealt with openly and swiftly.

I think that CMR is already in trouble because he basically recruits people who are a stop away from prison in their everyday lives. These sorts of kids are going to be problematic unless you ride them each and every day and hire a “handler” to make sure they stay in line, in season and off season.

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THANK YOU, EVEN PARENTS HAVE A HARD TIME HANDLING THEIR CHILDREN SOMETIMES

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Richt is a disciple of Booby “aw shucks” Bowden. They subscribe to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality. They’ll suspend a sub but not a starter for the same offense.

Richt contributes to the thug mentality with the antics – end zone dancing, blackouts, one-finger salutes, etc.

As Mark said – “Maybe Richt needs to be more careful about the players he pursues… Too many college athletes (and not just Georgia athletes) have been so pampered they believe they’re untouchable.”

Gee Mark Richt, how about setting an example, rescind Chump LeMay’s offer. Make the rest of the team run stairs til they toss when a teammate screws up. Maybe that will wake some of these thugs up.

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Maybe UGA should just do what certain other schools do and pay the local polce to look the other way. Makes me sick to see other school’s athletes walk on auto theft, robbery, gun charges, domestic violence, etc and our boys are crucified for having a beer. I’m not saying the players are justified in doing ANYTHING wrong..they are public figures and should be held to a higher standard. I’m just sick of the rival fans thinking there players are above reproach when in all honesty they have an entire athletic department of bottom dwellers.

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http://www.sectalk.com/boards/sec-football-talk/84040-2010-fulmer-cup.html

The dawgs are def favorites to win this as they are every year. I will be pulling for you puppies!

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thUGA has had more than twice the arrests of any other DIV 1 school the past 3 years.

thUGA in da house!

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UGA’s program is an embarrassment to the SEC right now. They need to clean this mess up, before it gets worse. What needs to happen is Mike Slive step in and suspend these coaches or slap them with a hefty fine, for lack of player control. 37 arrests in 2 years. To say mark richt has problems is a understatement.

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I think kids should lose the entire season and possibly their scholarship for drinking and driving. I really hope that the kid gets kicked off the team. If Evans loses his job, the player should lose his scholarship. As a member of a family that has lost someone to a drunk driver, EVERYONE loses when you drive drunk.

This kid needs time away to get his priorities straight.

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thUGA has many more arrests that UMiami or FSU. Not even close Mikey in SAV.

thUGA out o control

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Is there some way the Obama administration and Jimmy Buffet could blame Bush for the UGA athlete arrests??

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Oh and I was wrong when I said that Bama hasn’t had an arrest in 2 almost 3 years. Which means disregard anything I say because I am an idiot.

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There is no way to determine how a kid will act when he faces the temptations and freedom of a college campus. None. Every kid I’ve seen attend college changes when he begins to attend.

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I blame thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA thUGA

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thUGA
July 12th, 2010
2:37 pm

Proof that Tourettes syndrome can strike anyone at anytime.

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1. If you think there has not been underage possession of alcohol by athletes at every SEC/ACC school stay tuned for this offer: for three easy payments of $19.99, plus S and H, you too can own a genuine Rolex watch.

2. I would like to see documentation that any SEC/ACC school has imposed a one game penalty or more on an athlete for the single charge of underage possession, like Tavarres King.

3. That being said, UGA football players need to realize they are privileged to play for the most followed sports team in the state, pro or college, and act accordingly.

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Mark, there was an excellent essay recently in the New York Times on another topic, but that started off with a discussion of people who are too stupid to realize that they’re stupid (unknown unknowns vs. known unknowns). Unfortunately, that appears to describe far too many college football recruits these days, and certainly not just at UGA.

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can thuga play road games this year because i thought u can’t go out of state on probation

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My uncle said 90% of these arrests would not have happened when he was in college because the legal drinking age was 18. The big risk for him and his frat brothers was getting their hands on Coors which was illegal east of the Mississippi at the same time. College kids will always push the envelope.

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The punishment for screwing up is similar to that of other schools so stating that Richt is not harsh enough is ignorant. I think this boils down to the recruiting base that Richt chooses from, if you look at the kids from the state of Ga. many have discipline problems coming into college and not just starting when they get there. Where were the tenn. kids from that committed assault? GA Where was the kid from that got kicked of Oklahoma? GA – It’s a recurring theme and I cant figure out why the kids are such thugs here in Ga. It doesnt mean every kid here in Ga is the same but it does seem that a high percentage have discipline problems. And the issue here is more with Jackson and not King- If every underage kid was kicked off their team for drinking we would not have very many teams here in the US, but Jackson needs to be suspended for some time for his DUI.
But even with the arrests this past year only one has been violent in nature and that is Montez Robinson. The rest have been petty crimes that have come under scrutiny because of the microscope that is fine tuned on UGA. Is it fair that the media focuses on every mistake by UGA players? NO but it comes with the territory of being a big time program. So the PLAYERS, not the Coach or University, need to clean up their act.

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Momma always said thUGA is as thUGA does

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What’d I say?

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Things that make you go thUGA
July 12th, 2010
2:43 pm

Posting under multiple names. That’s as lame as it gets……..

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MARK B. It’s Simple. Hold All Students to the same level of ZERO Tolerance.
According to the NCAA Athletes should not be singled out for “SPECIAL” Treatment. That should go both ways not just for the good stuff.

Once all these pure, clean and Wholesome “NON-THUG” sorority/fraternity princesses & Princes start getting hit up with this policy we will see how long this ZERO Tolerance call lasts.

I understand the Athletes are on Scholarship but what about the HOPE it’s the same concept. Make no mistake about it. They have earned this NOT so Free Ride through their blood sweat tears and quality of life.

They are kids and expecting them to be better than other kids simply because they play ball is lunacy. TREAT THEM ALL THE SAME and you have no argument from me.

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TL- For your viewing pleasure. Let he who cast the first stone…………….

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080218/NEWS/633384924

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Mark: today’s one of the answers to your trivia question from a while back.

When’s the next big test?!?!?!

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why even compare that athens anthill to world-class universities like UF and Bama? in anything? cmon folks, get over yourselves

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One of the big stories during last season’s fall practice at Georgia was about how Mark Richt was determined to reduce penalties, which had become a huge problem. I recall the Athens paper running a story on it. The picture alongside the story showed a couple of linemen going after each other in practice. The offensive lineman had a grip on the defensive lineman’s face mask. Then the season started and Georgia was again among the most penalized teams in the country. On one of the TV games, can’t recall if it was CBS or ESPN, the announcers said they’d asked Richt about penalties during the week and he told them that when he was at FSU they won big while being one of the most heavily penalized teams in the country. But then later in the year, Richt instituted a policy (or at least a threat) of pulling players off the field after they committed a penalty.

I think there might be some correlation between discipline on the field and discipline off the field.

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As a college student who spent a few years down at Georgia Southern I partook in my fair share of underage drinking and partying and NEVER got arrested. I never even got close to being arrested really. It’s sad that these players put themselves in situations that they can be arrested. I truly believe that some of these players see 100k people worshiping them on big plays and think they are above the law. You want to blame someone blame EVERYONE.

Get inside these players heads and tell them football is not as important as being a good person and making sure not to put yourselves in situations where you have to try to get out of it by being a UGA football player.

It’s just sad.

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longtimedawgfan….zero tolerance does not work. You must have commom sense which is not part of zero tollerence. Example: I gave my 7 yr old grandson a 4″ lead gun for his lead soldier collection. He took this to school for “show and tell”. He got suspended for 7 school days. When I asked the assit administrator to explain this policy and punishment, he said there is no explanation needed with zero tollerence. For the first time in my life I was speechless. I just left and told my daughter and son-in-law that a new school system with intelligent life should be considered.

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Also Mark its pretty funny to look at all your blogs and see the haters posting things about UGA ever since this blog was created but yet you told UGA fans to cool their loathing of Da’Rick getting in trouble. Maybe you should write an article about all the pricks on here trashing UGA. And this alcohol incident is not even comparable to the Tenn. assault, which I feel bad for Dooley having to deal with but do not feel bad for the thugs that were involved.

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Jordan
July 12th, 2010
2:49 pm

I’m having a hard time connecting “Statesboro” and “partying”. Just sayin…..

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It’s a story as old as time itself. UGA player/faculty member arrested. The AJC should start writing stories when someone doesn’t get arrested. That would be more newsworthy.

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Dawgtard thUGA

Things that make you go thUGA

thUGA

QUESTION OF THE DAY. Just how many names will this tool post under today?

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Watching UGA and CMR implode has great entertainment value. The Bulldog nation must cringe every morning when they log on to ajc.com.

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How can the university and the fans not take some responsibility for the behavior of these young men when we treat them like demi-gods whose only reason for being on campus is to generate football revenue and make us feel good about being UGA diehards. These players come as they are: great athletes, but in many cases unused to self-control or accountability. Then we tell them that all that matters is excelling on the field. So, the university either has to sign only players who possess the right character traits (youthful stupidity being what it is) or accept responsibility for being the surrogate parents they need. The idea that they should be proud to wear the red and black and behave accordingly is nonsense when all they’d done to earn that privilege is to be a good highschool athlete. If we don’t recruit character, then we better be ready to teach it, or we’re only getting what we deserve. Which is exactly what’s happening.

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I don’t think it’s a great idea to discipline the team for one or two players’ mistakes…..unless you’re ready to see large numbers of players arrested for assault and battery (on fellow players that get in trouble).

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We are fam-i-ly!! I got all my playas with me!

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College kids drink, everyone does it. There has to be something going on here, because you know the kids in Tuscaloosa and Auburn are drinking, because there is nothing else to do there. They just aren’t being arrested!

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mark,

have you ever considered that the athens police dept harasses players because they are players? have you considered that police in auburn, tuscaloosa, baton rouge and gainesville, fl look the other way and call a coach instead of arresting a kid? if you don’t think it happens, you’re very naive.

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Mark good article..I’d love to see all of college sports put on a basis where you had to 1) qualify academically on the same level as the rest of the student body to even step on campus 2) Put in 1 complete year of successful study prior to even being able to go out for a sport 3) lower the drinking age nation wide to 18 4) if convicted of drinking and driving or drinking and violence your gone from any college for 1 year and lose that years illegibility if your a member of a sports team, debate team, band member etc..in other words one set of rules for all students and everyone attending school is a student first. The only guys in college sports I feel sorry for are the guys that give their all in the classroom and the field but don’t get to play because they have a classroom slacker in front of them that is a couple of steps faster,stronger etc.

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I would say change the punishment. Instead of a one game suspension send the arrested player to the scout team for that season. The complete season, no dressing for home games, no practicing with the varsity.

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ac,
I understand what you are alleging, but I cannot buy it. Are you saying that all or most of the police officers in Tuscaloosa are putting their careers in jeopardy to cover up the actions of a second string left tackle on the footbal team? Just makes no sense. yYes, there are probably “fanatics” on every police force that would be willing to look the other way on occasion, but not to the extent that you folks are alleging. The media would be ALL OVER IT!!!!!

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WELL SAID!!!!!!!!!! To all the stupid poeple that think the coaches can watch these players 24/7….get a life….its time for the other players to step up and give some good peer pressure….

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Things that make you go hmmmm….
July 12th, 2010
2:59 pm

And now you’ve hijacked my name. Real creative there (yawn). Why not include thUGA in your name like all your other posts?

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Funny and predictable to see the Bulldawg Nation excuse makers like JB chime in. Georgia gets penalized more on the field because the SEC referees have had it in for them since Georgia stormed the field in 2007 against Florida. Georgia has more players arrested than other SEC schools because the other schools have the police in their pockets. All the SEC schools had players driving around drunk hitting other cars and leaving the scene, but only the Athens police are harsh enough to make an arrest.

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Then you’re sheltered

It was just a joke. Lighten up Francis!!

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Richtfan, if you have any proof to support your point, please let us have it. If all you have is conjecture, move along.

JaxDawg, how do you rationalize saying that calling the players thugs is racist but calling everyone here a redneck? Seems you’re the only racist one here.

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Any of you calls me Francis and I’ll … well, you know.

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I said this on Kings blog yesterday and i’ll put it out there again now. Look at the ones who keep getting in trouble. Lets go back a cpl years ago when some of our guys vandalized the guard gate at the hospital. Look at the ones who were in the taxi cab earlier this year. Look at the ones who have been beating up their girlfriends. Even though these guys i’m about to say arent on our team…but look at the guys from Tenn who got into trouble the other day. What do all these guys have in common???? ITs the type of athletes we are brining to Athens. Look at the make up of our team. IT use not be that way and we had way less off the field problems. These guys are wanna be gangstas. They cant stand it….they dont realize that getting to play sports at a D-I school is a privelege and they need to be greatful for the opportunity to get an education. What good does it do UGA to recruit these gangbangers with speed?? We get them to Athens and then we have to kick them off the team or suspend them for several games. Lets recruit the hardworking guys who want to be DAWGS instead of the guys with no discipline looking at UGA as a stepping stone to the NFL. GEEZ!!!!!!!!!! Bradley…you are right. Richt isnt the one embarassing UGA. But, please lets figure out a way to keep this kind of stuff from happening.

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Working as a police officer I have a few friends that work in college towns across the south as officers. And its amazing to see how different the unwritten policies are for dealing with athletes. Most officers are more lenient with celebrities and athletes but in Athens the Captain enjoys the press coverage that his department gets with big time arrests. A friend of mine works for ACCPD and they stake out the athlete hangouts waiting for any missteps. Not saying that this doesn’t happen at other universities but of the departments that I know of Athens is the only one that implements this policy.

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Looks like Jawjah is in the lead for my annual cup!

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It doesn’t say much about the intellect of the players if they know the cops are looking for them and they still misbehave, Keen Observer.

By the way – ACCPD = Athens Community College Police Dep’t?

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Hot women + cold beer = trouble and arrests

It’’s that plain and simple. Until UGA quits admitting hot women and the bar quit serving cold beer. There will always be some trouble and arrests.

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1. Underaged drinking – 4 games
2. DUI – 1 year, possible loss of scholarship.

This should not be determined by each individual college, it should be a the standard rule that governs college football.

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Enter your comments here

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Maybe I just haven’t paid attention correctly being that i’m on the White&Gold side of this state….but isn’t there starting to be a pattern here most offseasons? Players arrested on a DUI and most likely an expired LEARNERS PERMIT? Yes the players need to be more responsible (even at 18) but shouldn’t Richt see a pattern by now and start checking IDs upon enrolling? Not like that’d be a hard fix and it’d reduce several of the charges.

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When you recruit thugs—don’t be surprised when they start doing the crimes when they get on campus!

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ac-”1. Underaged drinking – 4 games
2. DUI – 1 year, possible loss of scholarship.

This should not be determined by each individual college, it should be a the standard rule that governs college football.”

Good idea. A standard punishment like this would cut out some of this behavior.

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HUH? is that your name or is that your answer to everything because you are that stupid? ACCPD= Athens Clarke County Police Department
Wow i knew the UGA haters were ignorant but didn’t know you were that retarded

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I Could’ve Put Some Lame Name Here…I take it that you drove drunk in college. You are an IDIOT. I just pray that you no longer drive drunk. I really would hate for you to MURDER someone while behind the wheel.

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cantondawg now that was funny! ” It’’s that plain and simple. Until UGA quits admitting hot women and the bar quit serving cold beer. There will always be some trouble and arrests.” May there always be trouble then !

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So Bama hasn’t had an arrest in 3 years? Google the Fulmer Cup and see who won it in 2008. After having the most arrests in college football that year, Saban instituted the don’t arrest practice with local officials. When you distribute a few season tickets suddenly the local police become much more tolerant.

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No AC i didn’t and i still don’t drink.
YOU ARE THE IDIOT Sir.
I asked a simple question. Should that rule apply across the board or just to Athletes?
But I guess you are too high and mighty to engage in a discussion.

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I engaged…you are defending a VERY bad decision by the part of a very misguided kid who does not need to be in college, but in treatment.

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TRUCE.

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All you all tech nerds are scared. Your beat down is scheduled for November.

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MARK – How would someone go about creating a standard rule for college athletics, possibly academics? That would be interesting. Take it out of the coaches hands and put completely in the players hands.

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UGA fans really think the police force has an agenda against them. Thats laughable and further evidence of the idiocy of the fanbase. No one is picking on UGA…your boys drank and drove…get over it. Im sure plenty of the cops are UGA fans in this state….plenty. You guys will say anything to avoid the real problem.

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Whether the cops have an axe to grind or not, the kid DROVE DRUNK! I applaud the police for doing their job.

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I have no proof, but I suspect the police in many big college towns tend to look the other way when the offender is a jock. There really is no way for a fair comparison.

The Athens Police Department and the UGA Campus Police, on the other hand, tend to behave like a bunch of mall cops given arrest privileges. They LOVE the attention they get for arresting athletes- or anyone else, for that matter. My daughter was in a CAB going home from downtown 2 falls ago, and a cop stopped the cab, breathalized (sp?) everyone, and gave all with a trace of alcohol an MIP. IN A CAB??? They should have been congratulated for using good sense and given a get out of jail free card for the next time. But not the Deputy Dawgs in Athens….

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Anybody who says Richt doesn’t punish his players when they mess up (or didn’t used to punish his players before ‘08) is completely talking out of his or her arse. When taking into context the nature of the offenses, his punishments have been among the most severe in major college football throughout his tenure here.

I’m no Richt apologist either. I’ve been less than thrilled with the last 4 seasons.

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Mark I think I can see your tongue in cheek in this article. Of course Mark Richt is a nice guy, but as you stated he needs to clean up the recruiting rolls and then after they are there tolerate nothing like this stuff. He’s paid 3 million a year to make sure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen repeatedly. He obviously can’t recruit high character players and he can’t control them or coach them when they get there.
Fire him now or fire him later.
Georgia: The Wisconsin of the SEC
Georgia deserves better.

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I’ve only read the title, and HECK NO. Despite what some of our rivals try to say, Richt is one of the best of head coaches to discipline.

And Bradely, your posts fill up quick with comments.

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I just heard where my nephew got a speeding ticket. I guess my brother did a crappy job of raising him.

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I get the DUI stuff, but come on your 18 years old and can’t drink a beer. I know I was getting my drink-on my 1st year of college.

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One game for most of these offenses is a joke, but thats not the half of it, in most cases it the first game of the season against some pitiful lightweight which the players consider as a meaningless preseason game.

6 games for hit and run, DUI, no drivers license, among other offenses is a joke too, a big joke. But you’re right… for CMR going 8 and 5 gets him in more trouble and thats not his fault either.

What about these Kids parents? Are they blameless? Why doesn’t the media descend upon them? Dereliction of duty perhaps.

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NOt Richt’s fault? Did you blame Bush for Katrina? Yes? Then it’s Richt’s fault. Blame Nobama for the Gulf leak? Yes? Then Richt is to blame.
If you are the head indian, the tribes’ travails are yours.
Deal with it.

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GT Alum
July 12th, 2010
3:34 pm

Sorry, but I don’t read thesis sized posts anymore.

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TL, how many stories do we need to bring up about Bama? http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11677-alabama-football-woes-nick-saban-brings-miami-mentality-to-tuscaloosa

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My thoughts: First – Underage drinking occurs EVERYWHERE and especially on college campuses, where there is little supervision and lots of available booze. It’s going to happen, and to think that it is not or can be controlled is simply naive. Part of the blame, therefore, must be placed on the University and the city of Athens. They make it too easy to drink and drive.Why not provide the students with a free shuttle service (free as in paid for by tuition/taxes as opposed to paying each trip). We had such a service (called “Bacchus,” ironically), at my college. It was a free van service that was specifically designed to shuttle drunk folks around campus.

Second – some credit must be given to the University and Athens police. They are not providing these players or anyone else, for that matter, with free passes and are taking this underage drinking seriously. I’m sure that other SEC teams’ players might get preferential treatment from their town’s and university’s police departments. Maybe we just have better or less corrupt cops than they do, or an atheletic department and/or coach less willing to tolerate such behavior. The fact that more of our players get arrested than in other major college programs does not mean that our program is “out of control” or “thuggish.” In fact, it may be the case that our program is in MORE control than others BECAUSE we are able/willing to find and punish these persons. I guarantee that the behavior is the same everywhere.

Third – suspending a player for more than three games for a single underage drinking offense would be much too excessive, in my opinion. Nearly every 18, 19, and 20 year old on the team drinks. Most probably smoke pot occasionally. It’s in a teenager’s nature to do dumb things and think they’re invincible. I’m not saying you should just accept or condone their behavior, but you should at try to understand it and fit the punishment accordingly to the crime and not be reactionary. First time for underage consumsuption or misdemeanor posession should be 1 – 3 games. For a second offense, I’m fine with 8 – 12 games. If driving is involved, then that is different and 6 games to a year may be more appropriate. Any sexual misconduct, if proven to the satisfaction of the coach, is worthy of a full year’s suspension or summary dismissal.

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Is it just because I’m a Tech fan that I think that driving drunk within a month of the Damon arrest and all of its publicity is even more stupid?

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Grandpa Right…..way to deflect from the REAL issue. Who cares if the cop goes on “power trips”…I think the same thing every time I get a speeding ticket. The job of police officers is to keep the peace and enforce the laws of the land. They aren’t singling anyone out…maybe your players shouldn’t drive drunk…because when you do that you violate a law. Its as simple as that…your making yourself look very narrow minded. UGA is not singled out…nor is any school. If anything they are protected because the majority of the police force are UGA fans or whatever the state school may be fans. Furthermore, the majority of the state is UGA fans…why wouldnt an uneducated work force consisting of citizens of this state(the police force) be filled with UGA loving sidewalk fans. Wow you guys will say anything to avoid the real issue.

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Anyone thinking that all of these things are just “accidentally” happening over at UGA are just deluding themselves. Poor leadership is poor leadership, what do y’all expect after just having watched your AD get arrested for drunken driving with a ho’s red panties betwixt his legs?

I’d say more but I need a drink!

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Did I hear someone mention Quincy Carter?

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I’m not condoning the behavior of the players but I grew up in Athens and attended UGA: it has more law enforcement than you can shake a stick at. You have the UGA police, the Clarke County Police, and the State Patrol.

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How are academic failings and breaking law comparable?

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Great articles highlighting the problems at Georgia. In fact, I’ll be taking this with me to the living rooms of some prospective recruits. I’ll lay this down on the table and say, you know, they’ve had some real problems over there at Georgia…seems like 10-20% of their football team gets arrested every year. Our program is dedicated to helping our young men grow and mature, not just with athletics and academics, but as a man. Mark Richt is a great guy…but…well you know…a lot of his guys simply end up needing their parents to post bail. I’m just saying…

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These kids don’t understand what kind of opportunity that they have been given. Many athelets would like to have the break that they have. These are just stupid decisions and when you make your bed, you have to lie in it. I agree that the punishment should fit the penalty, but a firmer policy has to be put into place. You would think that the kids would be concentrating on the upcoming season and trying to win a NC, but I guess none of them want the opportunity to play at the next level. UGA takes a long time to make offers to these kids trying to find the most disciplined kids but, you still don’t know what you will get until they get there.

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I remember some ALL SEC and other types who “lit up the bars” after a UGA win. What is lacking, in my opinion, is judgement by present day athletes, who will not recognize in todays world with cell phone cameras and the internet, that any activity, no matter how small or indescrete, will become headlines the next day. Where is a frat house when you need one, lol!

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It’s not about drinking, it is about DUI!!!!! I do not care what the legal drinking age is, but a DUI cannot be excused. It cannot be an exception. Stop combining the two.

The kid should be kicked off the team and King should be suspended for 3 games for being in the car with an idiot let alone drinking himself.

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I would really love to see the rate of nonstudent-athletes arrested for alcohol related offenses.. DUI’s and underage drinking vs. the rate for the football team. The talk radio heads and most of you should keep in mind what college kids do. I would be willing to bet most you drank when you where underage age and some of you still drink and drive and you can’t blame it on youth and a still developing frontal lobe. These are 18 to 23 year old young adults. Are they wrong to drink and drive — yes. Should they be villified for it? Is UGA’s program out of control ?? No to both. You can’t expect the student athletes to understand decision and consequences any better than the regular students. The real issue is the amount of drinking and risky behavior that happens on any college campus but the media (this includes you AJC) faculty or parents don’t want to address this issue… just point fingers

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They’ve got a name for players at UGAg. That name is called “recidivism.”
Repeat offender!
Not a pretty name, is it Richt?

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You can’t always tell how a student is going to act once he/shes away from mommy and daddy. They could be your model student thru high school but once in college YAHOO. Where are the team leaders cause coaches aren’t going to be with them day and night

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In perspective…So, I guess a 18 year old kid who pulls out a gun and shoots someone in head should not be villified because he is young and does not understnad decision and consequences.

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Sorry Mark, but yes Mark Richt is embarrassing UGA. Did you follow the story about the 5 star wide receiver at Tenn.? That was UGAs prize recruit they lost that beat a cop half to death. Richt is recruiting the worst kind of individuals with NO reguard for the character of the person or the program. What makes it worse is he is still losing. So don’t try and write some BS that Richt is not to blame with the 9, yes, 9 players that have been caught doing things they should not have been doing. UGA is the biggest mess in the SEC and really the entire country. I guess USC beats them out for worst off but UGA is right there with them and ONLY Mark Richt can take the blame for this many problems. So the book on Richt is not a clean program AT ALL and no signs of change anytime soon.

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Turn to the right!!

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To Shreveport Sam. What is illegal about having red panties between your legs.. Truth be told the officer never should have put that in the report. The panites had absoultely nothing to do with the DUI..It was none of the troopers business why her panties were in between his legs.. but I guess you are just a mindless lackey who doesn’t bother to think for himself.

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Mark,
On the surface it would appear Richt has little to do with this ongoing problem. But why is this happening on a fairly regular basis? There must be a problem somewhere. Are some of these players known to have had problems and their parents think Pastor Richt will help put them on the right path?

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Richt is from the big city, Miami. he is playing the country bumpkins like a fiddle. He can field a team of choir boys if that is the goal but you will get your behinds kicked every saturday.

He knows in order to field a championship caliber team you need some players with a ruthless mean streak (gang bangers, aka thugs as some of you call them) to play this game.

Football is a ruthless, painful sport. You literally have to be on the edge to play it at a top level.

Besides boys will be boys, cheers, drink up and a toast to youthful exuberance. makes for great stories when you get older.

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It’s AMAZING to me those of you who shrug off the seriousness of a DUI and do not consider a grave transgression. Obviously, you have not known someone who was killed by a drunk driver. A fatality, that could have been avoided had the drunk decided not to drive or drink.

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if we were talking about a few incidents, I wouldn’t blame Richt either. Unfortunately because of the win at all costs mentality at UGA, they recruit primarily on skill, not character. So in the end, this is what you get.

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I played college football and let me share a little “secret” with you. Football is a violent game played by large men who are rewarded for being physically aggressive. And with the premium placed on winning, coaches do sacrifice character at times for men with these other needed attributes. I’m not defending the behavior, but no one should be surprized when some of these guys get arrested – anywhere.

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Dawg Nation is never short of an excuse. It’s the Athens Police Department staking out UGA players! Never mind that Mettenberger was arrested in Milledgeville, AD Damon Evans was arrested in Buckhead because he couldn’t keep his car in one lane and the latest UGA kid sped past an Athens police officer who had made a traffic stop in the lane closest to the stop. And never mind that there was already a description out on the car for a hit and run. It was those overzealous Athens police! Anywhere else in the SEC that would have been overlooked or covered up! Ask my imaginary friends in the police departments throughout the SEC!

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That Dontavius is a sly one. Already knows his ABC’s.

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Darick DID do that , read then talk
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5366458

He may, i repeat may not have beaten the cop, but he was there and resisted arrest.

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My son against my wishes attends Florida. Last year he attended an off campus party attended by several Gator football players who got out of control due to thier drinking and began fighting and tearing up the property. The police were called and so was Meyer. Not one arrest was made. Meyer even drove two of the starting gator players home.To say he controls the Gaineville police department is an understatemnent. It happens all the time and none of it is ever reported.My son was ticketed for underage drinking as were several other non athletes who attended the party. NONE of the gator players got a ticket..NONE.. even though at least three starters on the Florida team were underage and caused the majority of the problem. Don’t let Meyer fool you his program smells. He knows it and so do the local Gainesville and campus police.

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I’m not even sure I see what the issue is with the two most recent arrests. 75% of the UGA undergraduate population–at a minimum–has been guilty of underage possession at one point or another. If you compared the percentage of the UGA football team arrested for alcohol-related offenses to the percentage of the student population arrested for the same, I doubt you’d see a difference. Tavares was a kid being a kid–I’m more worried about the kids who don’t drink before they turn 21 than the ones who.

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Grandpa Right, formerly of Cochran…very well stated.

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ac…I agree completely. I still dont understand why people think DUI is no big deal. It kills people every day…and guess what….its completely preventable. Ive lost someone to a drunk driver…I would give anything to stop that person from making the decision to get behind the wheel. Those making light of DUI just simply dont get it….sad honestly. I hope to god that some UGA people understand the real issue…havent come across one yet.

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super B…It is not about underage drinking…It is really about a DUI that makes this serious.

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How can you not blame mark he is the one recruiting them right? You can make the arguement that this could happen to anyone, but this quanity? Because its not happening to any other school, not like uga.

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Prison life is structured – more’n some people care for

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Richt and his staff ARE responsible for the conduct of the misbehaving nimrods that they bring into the program. Recruit more high-quality people, and you won’t have these types of problems.

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Huh?- Can you say Reuben Houston?

Mettenburger was arrested in Remerton- in his case he EARNED his arrest, but Remerton law enforcement and Athens law enforcement have a lot in common-

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Well said Gbal, the MIP is a joke.

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I have no idea what that means, bdawge71.

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No excuses offered for the DUI…but the MIP is ridiculous. Drinking age should be 18…this would have been a ticketed citation in most areas.

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There is simply a culture of intitlement amounst todays younsters. Double that for college(ie..pampered) atheletes and thet results in the arrest rates being so high.

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DP,
Kind of biting, but otherwise well said.

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Athens cops R evil…I would rather have a person responsible for a DUI charged then the lot of them let go. No matter what their affiliation to football

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O u t…o f…here. Jackson dismissed, King 3 game suspension.

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Cochran agreed.

Saw a post about Miami in the 80s. The 80s was a very changed culture and when was the last time you heard of a Miami arrest or scandal? Shannon is running a clean program in Miami. It is a shame they have to fight an image earned by previous coaching staffs.

I would not doubt local law enforcement has an impact on the arrest record, it is night and day how a police force can change from responsible and upholding the law to overzealous with a new Chief.

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Furthermore CMR needs to go. Parents should teach children to behave. Head football coaches should teach players to compete and win.

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You know, it’s easy to be armchair recruiters/coaches/quarterbacks, etc., but truth of the matter is, these young men are PRACTICALLY GROWN when they reach college and the path is already embarked upon. It goes back MUCH further, to the days when I was in high school, coaches would get Linnie Patrick out of jail on fridays nites so he could play football(he was amazing in high school) and players didn’t have to make grades, just play football(sound familiar?) until that old practice was vanquished. Now, it’s hard to change a persons blueprint, but it is POSSIBLE. To ‘TL’, who made the reference to Alabama and the lack of arrests there…look at the coaches please….Nick Saban will kick his own son off the team if he felt the need to and the players FEAR that and KNOW that!! Coach Richt, whom I respect, is that ‘Dr Spock’ kind of coach, he ’spares the rod’ so his outcomes are going to be MUCH different and also this, ALABAMA has 13(yes, I count the split with USC in ‘79!) National Championships….it’s just a different atmosphere when you’re an historical WINNER(I grew up there, I know)….hell, he can’t kick everybody off the team, and EVERYBODY(except Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer)deserves a second chance….

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Seven Bulldogs Arrested This Calendar Year

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I really hate to see this. Mark Bradley has become another Mark Richt apologist.

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I hate hearing about this, but some of this gets blown out of proportion. It’s not like these are armed robbery charges. They’re college kids drinking. It goes on everywhere. GA is recruiting the same players as AL, FL, and the other schools, but the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham papers don’t report on it as much as the AJC likes to.

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The Athens police like getting their name out there. Jimmy Williamson is a star.

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I’m sick of Georgia football, especially night games! I’m not staffed to handle it!

(Instead of taking this up with university and getting more staff to handle major college football, I’m complaining about it in the media…and writing about it on blogs.)

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How much did it take to buy Mark Bradley off? This column wasn’t journalism, it was a press release from UGA.

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The only explanation the Dawgs can come up with for why our players don’t get arrested is that Saban bribes the cops with season tickets. No evidence supporting that of course.

It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with:
-taking character into account when recruiting
-kicking the bad eggs off the team early on
-putting the fear of god into players so they’re afraid to act up
-instilling in them such a sense of pride and self-respect that they do not feel the need to act up
-motivating them academically and involving them in the community so they don’t have time to act up

Really, if you told me Mark Ingram had been arrested I would never in a million years believe you. But, yeah, let’s go wit the bribery angle because that makes us feel better.

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A lot of the discipline problems that seem to be going on really begins at home, not always, but to a large extent, and as it is in the middle schools and high schools you would be shocked at some of the discipline problems,, but yet we expect the coaches to tame everyone and to install morals…I believe Coach Richt does try to do that as i also believe most coaches do, but unfortunately the message doesn’t get thru….Everyone seems to want a magical answer on how to prevent these issues and as someone previously posted, you could lock them all up and only let them out on game day…The truth is many of the athelets have been given the star treatment their entire life and may or may not have had the right guidance from their parents…way too often its left up to the schools and their peers for guidance..Fortunately i think that the majority of the atheletes at these schools do well but its the few that unfortuately get all the press when they do mess up…

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The last time I checked, you still have to be 21 to drink…nuff said!

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You can blame Mark Richt about as much as you can blame their Social Studies Professor for it.

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I wouldnt blame Richt for anything that has happened but its up to him to help correct it. UGA is one of the most undisciplined teams in the nation on and off the field. He either needs to get tougher on his players or start recruiting guys with a little more character.

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Mark Bradley has just lost any semblance of objectivity with this piece of apologist drivel. Maybe it’s time for him to go to DC and work for Obama.

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Thanks Mark!
I was Hoping it to be true, but had a feeling it was a false rumor

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Yes – UGA played Oklahoma State (at Ok St) first last year and LOST by 2 touchdowns, which is what happens when you play a good team without your best players. This is why UGA schedules a cupcake for its first game whenever it can, and why LA – Lafayette is the first game this year. Big punishment.

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CMR has got to place the emphasis on kids that a want an education and recruit accordingly. Its time to recruit kids with some smarts, not just ones that want to float through school and hope they get to play pro ball. Kids need to realize that its a privalege to get your education paid for and not their right. UGA is an institutional of higher learning not a football factory as many of you want to believe. Its way past time that it became identified with quality institutions.

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Please roll tide faithful, let me throw a few things out there and see if they ring a bell: robbing fellow students at gun point, on camera in a dorm, with team issued gear on.

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Mark Bradley has just lost any semblance of objectivity with this piece of apologist drivel. Maybe it’s time for him to go to DC and work for Obama.

Amen to that.

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Georgia Pride,

Who is your favorite team? Just curious.

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Okay Dawgs, What’s your team or are you to scared to say?

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Or better yet…….what does “I’ll take good care of him” encompass………….

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You guys come on here and hide behind derogatory names like that and simple names like Wiley. Come on, who do you pull for so that we can start chopping them up.

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Do you really want to bring up GT’s AD…whos your AD again UGA?

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Well, Dawgs I don’t think you have much room to talk. Your team has had a lot more severe problems that drinking under age.

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My real name is Wiley. Not hiding anywhere. Im a Junior at Georgia Tech and I love making fun of your school.

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kerryb, I’m a UGA fan and you’re offbase.

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Ok, I thought you were going to start chopping??????

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What’s the over/under on the number of times the average Tech fan replies to AJC blogs about UGA? It’s gotta be over 15. They want it to seem like there are a lot of them.

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No DIT, You can be more wrong. I have been a UGA fan for over 2

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If only they could enter other names at Bobby Dodd, make it seem like they had a fan base.

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Scott W – it’s telling that you have to go back more than two years to find an example of an Alabama player committing a real criminal act. Jeremy Elder was a moron who was not recruited by Saban and was booted from the team and booted from the school immediately. Saban has cleaned house.

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I have been a UGA fan for more than 30 years.

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People don’t learn from other people’s mistakes. (Otherwise there would be no mistakes being made, ever). Rather, people learn from their own mistakes.

The majority — vast majority — of people (including UGA athletes) who make headlines aren’t repeat offenders. Would be great if we all had the life experiences and knowledge and retrospect of folks 10-20-30-40-50 years past our own experiences but we simply don’t.

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When was the last time a Vandy player was arrested? maybe because they have high standards when recruiting?

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-taking character into account when recruiting
-kicking the bad eggs off the team early on
-putting the fear of god into players so they’re afraid to act up
-instilling in them such a sense of pride and self-respect that they do not feel the need to act up
-motivating them academically and involving them in the community so they don’t have time to act up

Jennifer, excellent post and that’s pretty much what’s keeping our players out of trouble.

One thing that doesn’t get said very much is that the NCAA passed a rule that head coaches can’t go out on the road during the spring to personally evaluate players. The rule was aimed at Saban and Pete Carroll because they were supposedly outworking other coaches.

But the real reason Saban opposes the rule so much is that in that process he is able to talk to guidance counselors, teachers, principals, to find out what he wants to know about the character of the kid-the kid’s work ethic, his manners, how he handles problems, whether the kid has discipline problems with the police, school, etc. That’s another reason we’ve been able to avoid a lot of the bad eggs lately. Its because Saban has been able to find out these little things during those spring periods when head coaches were allowed to be on the road. This is a bad rule for college football and this evaluation period was valuable in helping head coaches like Saban uncover potential character issues with kids.

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So kerryb….now that you know im not hiding behind my handle what else do you have to say? Any other ways of trying to make my comments seem less valid…im waiting.

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Hey Wiley, the reason you don’t here Tech players getting arrested for under age drinking is because whatever PD that Tech has is too worried about working all the robberies and muggings on that sorry campus.

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TallyDawg

July 12th, 2010
4:41 pm
Alabama doesn’t have people arrested because the police in Tuscaloosa will be in fear for their lives for arresting players.

Tallydawg,

If that were true then we wouldn’t have had all those players arrested during the Shula years and years previous to that such as David Palmer and his DUIs. And we wouldn’t have had 7 players arrested during Saban’s first year. Your point doesn’t hold water. The fact that we’ve had only one player arrested in the last year is due to a sense of discipline, focus, and most of all the fear of God that if you screw up at Alabama you will be asked to leave. Even for something small like breaking team rules.

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You get arrested for an alcohol related infraction, you go home. Period. Most of the Bulldog fans hold there breath through the summer months to see which of the Einsteins will be declared too stupid to play or which ones end up in the slammer. Quality beats quantity every time it’s tried. Give it a try, Mark.

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Tuscaloosa hasn’t changed much since the days of Forrest Gump. That’s why their players don’t get arrested…they just pour the beer out, and let ‘em keep on going.

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Got thousands of Dawg football tickets on line to all the games.
Selling for reasonable face price x’s all we can get,
average xs about 20 times face value. Got Master’s
tickets, too, about 30 times face value. Wonder where
we get the tickets? Don’t ask, don’t tell. Came from the
prez’ and the chairman. STill cheaper than trying to buy
them from the source after your donaton.

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It’s not the coaches fault or the player’s. They’re students first, and they’re doing what most of the students are doing in Athens, and that’s getting tanked. You have to change this entire campus culture. We need to look at teachers that encourage you to go out to happy hour in Athens with them. People mention no respect. Our fans DON”T have respect for our campus. Why should anyone have respect? After you change the campus culture. Then the culture needs to be changed at high schools around the state, where these players get a sense of entitlement. People these kids think they can get away with anything and guess what they do. We need to look at our commitments and recruits because further problems may be on the way.

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Georgia Pride,

Here are some of Georgia’s out of conference games over the past 5 seasons:

2005 – Boise State and Georgia Tech (played Boise in the first game and won by 35)
2006 – Colorado and Georgia Tech
2007 – Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech (played Oklahoma State in the first game and won by 21)
2008 – Arizona State and Georgia Tech
2009 – Oklahoma State, Arizona State, and Georgia Tech (played Oklahoma State in the first game)

Kinda shoots your theory out of the water, doesn’t it? You’re an idiot.

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Work it out on your slide rule Wiley. It’s on the shelf next to you in your mother’s basement

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Oh, by the way, WE RUN THIS STATE!!!

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Tide,
I don’t think anyone will be able to change the conspiracy thoerists minds. The same ones that blame the refs and Mike Slive for any UGA defeat or UF/Bama win. Cannot face reality and cannot accept responsibility. Maybe they’re the parents of the kids that keep getting into trouble? It would certainly make sense. That’s MY conspiracy theory!

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Thanks Mark Bradley. You did a fine job of “lumping” underage consumption and possession into the same classification as the felony arrests made at Fla, Ala, Tenn, etc. While I do not condone nor excuse the behavior of football players at Georgia, by the same token I do characterize an arrest for MUI somewhat differently than say Darren Myles arrest for a felony assault, or that of the UT basketball player arrested with several pounds of pot, guns and money in his car, don’t you see the difference? An arrest isn’t an arrest, the “charges” make the difference. If my son was arrested for underage consumption I would hate to think he’s grouped into the same category by you as a 20 yr old arrested for rape, robbery, stolen auto, or drug dealing. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

Oh and by the way, for the person who posted ONLY football players were arrested, check the record friend, there were two NON FOOTBALL people arrested who were in the vehicle. A 20 yr old female along with another male. There were also two other football players in the vehicle who were NOT arrested.

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Wow, great come back kerryb, i have never seen that phrase before……….you run the state congrats. Thats impressive.

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did you go to UGA? surely you didnt…you can barely formulate a coherent sentence.

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Wiley, when your team wins every game with UGA over the next 60 years and evens the record you can come back and talk.

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Wiley, what do you do with a history, technology, and society degree? Just asking. Teach high school history maybe?

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“And Richt, as head coach, must bear some responsibility. But responsibility isn’t the same thing as blame.

This is a distinction without a difference. It’s his watch.

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Umm did you miss the part about law degree from Duke? lol Im really done peace. I dont need to prove anything on an internet message board.

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wiley – the same can be said about UGA Alumnus, yet you are kicking out the insults pretty well yourself!

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Dawgster,
I’m sure Richt has disciplined the players that have been arrested. But obviously, what he is doing is not working. Tough times call for tough tactics. I think he really needs to evaluate his approach and start making the consequences much more severe. Between the off the field issues (no matter how minor you think they are) and the penalties and turnovers on the field, there is a serious self-accountability issue in the football program at present. Once again, I don’t blame Richt, but as the leader he has to correct it. The sooner the better.

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Everyone who keeps tauting the Fulmer Cup should look at the rankings. UGA is in 4th not 1st, that would be Minnesota.

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I respect UGA alums…just not the sidewalk fans who talk crap to me. I worked my @ss off to get where I am…and so did anyone with a degree from UGA…you have my respect. I wont tolerate anyone belittling my accomplishments….no harm no foul though.

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Jennifer, I guess after pulling a firearm on a fellow student(which is rock bottom) you would clean house. If that personally makes you feel better.

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It’s not mark, it’s Athens. The town is just too fun, and I’d imagine if you get to go around telling all the chicks your football players, what better place to be. They just need to be smarter about it.

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I can tell by looking at UGA players they are thugs. It is just a matter of when they will get caught. Change the type student athlete that you recruit and this problem will go away. It’s great to have a coach like Paul Johnson who can recruit the good kids and then coach them up. Go Jackets.

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Im not haha. I like basketball better anyway…I know party foul…but I was always the basketball kind of person. Doesnt mean I dont love college football though…I will always have a pretty good program in Georgia Tech too root for though. Duke football should continue to improve under Cutcliffe but its a joke right now…automatic W for Tech…usually.

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All of you Tech guys really are Cracker Jack, with knowing what everyone else should do with their lives and who is trying to get an education and what their motives are.

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dog789xyz – you may want to re-think your assessment of one of the top 5 winningest coaches over the last 10 years in NCAA football. Richt also was the offensive signal caller (not just a typical offensive assistant) for the FSU National Champions. Georgia’s offense took a turn for the worse, only after assigning Mike Bobo the duties of signal caller. He’s the coach that should be gone, not Richt.

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Mark…agree with your article…CMR has tough penalties for breaking team rules….And we don’t know what in house penalties are such as running all of Sanford Stadium’s steps…….Here is what I would like to see happen…Team leadership……Team leaders who are players meeting with the team weekly and reviewing rules and stressing to their teammates that this is not acceptable…Peer pressure…peer pressure….Would like to see players who break rules receive punishment from CMR and then additional punishment from Team leader committee (approved by Richt)….Team leaders need to have meeting weekly with team. Addtional–would like to see Team counselors–meeting with team and stressing importance of being successful…and things that team members can do to be successful in college and on the football team…There needs to be a culture change…CMR may be doing the punishment etc well…But looks lack some have a lack of respect for rules, authority…Look at the number of times we were penalized in games….the team members must grasp the importance of respecting authority and following rules….Now we drill this into them by Team leaders, peer pressure, counselors speaking, coaches speaking….small group meetings to talk about team and how team can perform better and be successful…..culture change and this are good methods to start with.

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Scott W.

July 12th, 2010
5:00 pm
“Jennifer, I guess after pulling a firearm on a fellow student(which is rock bottom) you would clean house.”

Scott W.

Put things in perspective. Everybody out there has a felon or future felon on their squad. A Tony Cole type if you will. What we’re talking about is the difference between having 1 or 2 bad apples which everyone has and slews of player arrests year in and year out. There is a difference.

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Right I guess it would be good to use UA as a moral compass, in fact a healthy portion of the NCAA rule book has been written for your school.

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It would be awesome if we could get though one or two blogs without the word Thug.

It’s boring how often it’s overused…like a bunch of high school girls calling other girls sluts because of some boy they like.

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Georgia Southern fans need to really reflect before they comment on UGA. Believe me I know more dirt than they want divulged.
GSU (not Ga State) fans are crap. They play in 1AA., a completely insignificant division. They have no following outside Bulloch County, Statesboro. Even in the pathetic little 1AA Division they are not respected.
UGA fans, this piece of crap school is where Paul Johnson of GT got his start. He was just as big of an ass when he was at GSU. He never missed a chance to say antything he could bad about UGA. I hope he never gets another win in his coaching career.

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PMC – Consider the source. That’s all the techies have against UGA because their Football team surely can’t compete!

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Casn you dig it,

Sorry if it bothers you but the results of Saban’s stern disciplinarian approach speak for themselves. One player arrested in the past year. You can say that its due to the Tuscaloosa police giving Bama players a complete pass but it doesn’t explain the 7 arrests in Saban’s first year or the arrests under Shula.

And calling us rednecks doesn’t bolster your argument. It only diminishes you.

And for the record my girlfriend who is from Athens and I went to the Bishop park 4th of July fireworks show with her. And let me tell you something. After observing all the rotten teeth, toothless, jorts wearing crackers at that park wearing UGA gear you have absolutely zero grounds to be calling anybody redneck.

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dog789xyz – it surely sounds like you got rejected by GSU. ur probably another barking sidewalk fan. leave GSU alone; you obviously know nothing about the school or fans. u douche

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Another thought—James Vaughters prized prospect committed to Stanford..One thing that Stanford uses in recruiting is the Former Sec. of State Condi Rice will mentor some of the Stanford players..She is a big football fan and on staff at Stanford…Last year Ta-Lier Jones committed to Stanford and part of the reason was that Rice was going to mentor him…Now Jones wound up going to ND….and will get an excellent eduction and football opportunity..(here he is doing great in practice).

But my point is this….Georgia players need some more mentoring because we are having too many arrests for drinking etc…..Having the right mentors would be a great recruiting tool….So UGA should look at who is on staff that could mentor players for 30-45 minutes per week and also maybe who could they hire do this…think that President Adams would be good mentor–he certainly is very successful and handled the Evans situation well. I am sure that there are others…Famous personalities who have done very well in life that attended UGA or that are UGA fans….this would be a win in recruiting if the right people are mentors and be a win in that every player would have a mentor who would give advice to the student athelete weekly on how to be successful….Another person that comes to mind is Sen. Saxby Chambliss–.

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Scott W.

What was that about us writing the book on NCAA infractions? We’ve had 3 or 4 major infractions cases, all coming from the 90s since. Let me give you the facts.

CHEATING HALL OF FAME THE TOP 29 NCAA DIVISION I TEAMS IN TERMS OF ALL-TIME MAJOR INFRACTIONS CASES.

Source is NCAA.ORG (ncaa legistlative database of major infractions cases)

1. Arizon state 8
2. SMU 8
3. Auburn, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Whichita State, and Wisconsin all with 7 each.
4. Cal, FSU, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, and UCLA with 6 major cases each.
5. Baylor, Cincy, Colorado, Miami, Fla., Mich. State, Miss state, NC State, Texas-Pan American, USC, UTEP, Washington, and West Virginia all with 5 major infractions cases each.

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Mark Richt recruits these kids, many of whom make a mockery of the school’s academic standards. He coddles them as their rap sheet grows and the school’s reputation takes hit after hit with this nonsense. He comes from the classical Florida State line, where thuggery was tolerated and he has brought that reputation to Georgia.

To this day, FSU has not shed that label, and I doubt that UGA will be able to shed it either. He may talk of being a “good Christian”, a family man, etc., but let’s call him what he is:
an enabler who has tolerated this behavior from the beginning of his career, smearing the name of whatever institution he represents.

From Michael Adams and Damon Evans down to the players, THIS HAS TO STOP. I am tired of our school being butt of every joke!

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I know all GSU Eagles suck. YOU suck too. GSU never rejected me. I would never consider them for any reason.
I assure you I know WAAAAAY more about GSU than you. That’s GA Southern.

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What am I banned for?

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Well stated Mark. I am proud that Mark Richt is our football coach. That’s not to say that I don’t occasionally second guess him. I have to wonder why we’re experiencing more than our share of these issues, and the coach needs to get a handle on that. Still, I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else in the country. I value his character and loyalty to the school, and 10 wins per year as an average is not to be taken lightly, especially in this conference. I’m confident he’ll adjust to the realities of the day. The learning never stops for any of us after all. With all the turmoil swirling around the program right now, the last thing we should want to do is undermine the calm in the eye of the storm.

GO DAWGS!

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Ginger….I like your thought process….and if we were in a “focus group”..I’d take your side…BUT…kids wanna party and drink in college…always have…didn’t you Ginger..??

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Great Post – Jay in VA !

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Got a link Tide Rising?

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Nice list Tide Rising. You will notice of course that Bama and the Gators are conspicuously absent from your top 30 list. So much for some of the duly embarrassed Dog fans on here! Georgia already has a reputation (and continue to enhance that reputation) as THUGA.

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Its simple. In Athens they enforce the law. Most places they do not when it comes to athletes.

Alabama is famous for it. I can remember seeing David Palmer escorted out of a keg party by t-town police. He was drunk and underage just like other people who got in trouble at the party but Bama needed him on Saturday so there was no arrest or anything. Certainly no publicity.

I mean who ever heard of 18 or 19 year olds getting drunk. I know I never did ( wink wink ) and none of you did either.

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Richt isn’t directly responsible for their actions. He is responsible for the sort of people he brings to campus on scholarship & how he deals with their actions afterward. He’s failed dismally on both of the latter, particularly the former.

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Tide Rising

July 12th, 2010
5:22 pm
Scott W.

What was that about us writing the book on NCAA infractions? We’ve had 3 or 4 major infractions cases, all coming from the 90s since. Let me give you the facts.

Who are you kidding? Bama runs the dirtiest program in the south. You guys almost got the death penalty a few years back. Man bama fans have short memories dont they.

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by the way, i’m an idiot and know nothing about what i’m talking about. ignore my further posts. woof woof

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Jun 11, 2009 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Impermissible benefits obtained by student-athletes through misuse of the …
Nov 16, 2005 University of South Carolina, Columbia This case was processed as a summary disposition. Violations of NCAA legi…
Oct 27, 2004 Mississippi State University Violations of NCAA legislation regarding recruiting (improper recruiting c…
Apr 17, 2003 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Violations included: extra benefits, recruiting, financial aid, employmen…
Feb 1, 2002 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Athletics representatives actively engaged in violations of recruiting and…
Jan 31, 2002 University of Kentucky Recruiting inducements for prospective student-athletes and high-school co…
Mar 5, 1997 University of Georgia IMPROPER RECRUITING: improper recruiting contacts made by and inducements…
Mar 7, 1996 Mississippi State University IMPERMISSIBLE RECRUITING: recruiting assistant offered cash and other ind…
Aug 2, 1995 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AMATEURISM, EXTRA BENEFITS: $24,000 in impermissible banks loans made to …
Nov 17, 1994 University of Mississippi IMPERMISSIBLE RECRUITING: improper contacts by athletics representatives;…
Aug 18, 1993 Auburn University EXTRA BENEFITS: athletics representatives provided at least $4,000 in cash…
Sep 18, 1991 University of Tennessee, Knoxville IMPERMISSIBLE RECRUITING: arrangement for an airline ticket on credit to a…
Sep 20, 1990 University of Florida

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Jay in VA. I am sick that Mark Richt is our coach. Tell me how you feel after we waste a few more years on this incompetent coach until we finally replace him.

The number of wins averaged is a very distorted statistic. How can Vandy and Kentucky beat us? How do we lose to Tennessee? What about OK ST?

Under Richt we never beat someone that we are not supposed to. We lose each year to one or two teams that should not have a chance to beat us. CMR is not a coach! He does not hire good coaches. CMR is not a good judge of talent. CMR is not a motivator.

UGA has settled. Some UGA fans are excited about our running backs ( like CMR would run the ball). Actually, our running backs could not start for any SEC team. They are average at best

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Say what you want about Saban at Bama….but I think his players both respect and fear him…and I think they know they are not going to play if they don’t do what he tells them to do on and off the field…no matter who you are or how talented you are. Richt has let his players get away with too much (and he IS responsible for that)….as has Meyer at Florida in the past few years. Meyer is seriously trying to change that now and is doing more of the Saban thing at Florida. Richt needs to do the same….I think Richt’s players respect him….but they obviously haven’t learned to fear his consequences for their bad choices. If he doesn’t change the culture in Athens soon, his program will become a train wreck (if it isn’t already). I think Richt knows this and will make the required changes that will hold his players more accountable for their actions. But no program is perfect, and Bama will have their own player issues in the future as well. But Georgia has been out of control lately…and again…Richt IS responsible for that cultural failure.

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One thing jumps out at me about this. If it were all colleges, I could probably agree with MB more, but it’s not. In the SEC, more often than not, it’s either UT or UGA who are the worst of the group. I think I know what the common thread is, but will keep it to myself for now and see if others can pin it down. HINT: It does have to do with recruiting.

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DUIs are a ride home for BAMA players. Trust me.

Truer words were never spoken. Ive witnessed this personally.

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……back to learning from recent history…..if you (the head coach) let your players go undisciplined out on the field to celebrate in the face (with intent to embarrass or challenge) the other team…then you probably can expect those same players will think it is OK to embarass or challenge others (and otherwise act inappropriately) in public as well. I hope Richt has learned his lesson in that area.

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Alan Ladd died too young…..shane I agree…cops also get the same treatment in metro Atlanta…a DUI for them is a ride home….(I’m a bitter DUI recepient…but I aint lying)

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……back to learning from recent history…..if you (the head coach) let your players go undisciplined out on the field to celebrate in the face (with intent to embarrass or challenge) the other team…

Like Spurrier never tried to embarrass the other team. Everyone is on their high horse today !!!

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UGA’s program is just fine. We have come close to the title twice ( 2002, 2007, both years we were the best team in the country)

I wouldnt cry for UGA and Richt just yet.

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My 2 cents…agree that college is a time of partying and drinking….so never see something totally stopping P & D…..but UGA does have alot of arrests…7 this yr –is what I think Mark quoted..These arrest have increased in number over the yrs….So I stand by my thoughts…because the punishments seem severe enough..but it is still happening too many times at UGA….thus my thoughts of adding more things to help guide and deter Student -Athletes…The mentoring idea would help..mentors could be famous folks or just good folks who are very successful in life…good advice to student-athletes about life and how to be successful is certainly not going to hurt them…

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The coaches are to blame, the media is to blame, fans are to blame, NCAA is to blame, but most of all it goes back to the players. They make the choice, but they cannot make good ones because some can’t handle all the hoopla with their recruiting, they have never been raised right, and they think rules and laws are for other people. Look at the news and see what the police have to put up with. I would put them back in dorms, get rid of people like Jamie Newberg and the other recruiting shows and shows like that mess at Hoover High. Bottom line there needs to be a ban on alcohol and also players going to bars where they don’t need to be. Coaches won’t ban them because they fear for losing recruits. And don’t say they recruit the wrong kids, other SEC schools recruited these same kids.

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Charlie Sheen…are you also sometimes…Coach Willie Martinez and Coach Todd Grantham…just sounds like you….if so…good to hear from you …..I will check back in later to see if you replied…..getting ready to go to work.

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Hey dog789xyz, I’m as sick as you are over the ugly losses we’ve suffered the last few years, particularly FL ‘08, ‘09, AL ‘08, GT ‘08, TN and KY ‘09. Total collapses all, and I make no excuses for them. However, I also have to factor in 2 SEC titles, the aforementioned 10 wins per, a 7-2 bowl record (owning every other conference except the Big East) and winning records vs AU, GT, SC and the usual suspects. Fairly even vs TN, LSU, everybody else except FL, and yes he’s gotta fix that to avoid the John Cooper award. He’s hardened up his stance towards his staff and player dismissals, which shows he’s willing to evolve to meet reality. Points for that. And, okay, sue me…..but I like having a coach that I can respect as a human being.

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Scott W.,

Didn’t copy the link but the source is provided. The NCAA legislative database of major infractions cases at NCAA.ORG.

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The facts are, Montez was not dismissed by Richt. Montez was jailed for beating his girlfriend, continuing to stalk her, and violating a restraining order. He will not be available for football for about a year. Mettenburger had a number of serious charges, including assaulting a female. Richt kept him on the team for a month until the police report was coming out, and the details could not be contained. Like Montez, Dontavius’ problems are bigger than what Richt can contain. He will likely be taking a year off and won’t be available for the six game suspension anyway. The NCAA mandates a minimum of a one game suspension for arrests, so Minimum Mark is really not invoking any penalty at all. This whole issue has been misrepresented in the above article. Richt’s motto should be, “If you can play, you can stay,” as illustrated by Odell Thurman and Danell Ellerbe.

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UGA is inherently, intrinsically embarrassing. Its not the fault of any particular person. It is just a humiliating experience for everyone involved…

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGUwafCcL2M….. New public address announcement at Sanford Stadium this football season.

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Lemme get some Red Pantayzzzz Dawgzzzzz!!!

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I agree with much of what you say. However the buck stops at Richt’s desk. It’s his responsibility to set the tone for both the type of player he expects and how little toleration he will have for misbehavior. Lack of discipline equates to lack of respect for Coach Richt and his program and I guarantee you that there is a correlation between teams that are undisciplined and their quality of play on the field. Richt needs to get control of his program or it will be his undoing.

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Jimmy – You are so right. One problem is we have kids having kids. Look at your schools and all the programs we as taxpayers are having to fund to try to help save these kids. ISS, Alt Schools , graduation coaches and on and on. The parents are having too good of a time themselves and don’t make time to raise their kids. It is not unusual to have kids living with grandma and mama living somewhere else. Lord knows where dad is. It is a wonder some of these kids turn out as well as they do. But we can blame home life only so long. These student athletes need to realize the opportunity they have.

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If players at other schools have been picked up and not charged, it has happened here too. These players think that they can do anything they want. Maybe players (3star) who do not feel entitled would be better. They generally will work harder for what they want.

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I respect your point of view, dog789xyz. This may well be the year that either proves your point or mine. GO DAWGS!

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Lack of discipline on the field and off the field the last few years correlate well.

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I find it hilarious that Alabama fans are called rednecks by the team that had to change its tailgating policies because its fans were DEFECATING on the Quad.

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Mr Ezekiel, last year we opened with Okla St on the road and we still had players suspended for the SC game which was no cakewalk. I don’t like the underage drinking either but it would impossible for a coaching staff to police that entirely. CMR tries to teach these young men to develop personal responsibility much like we try to teach our own children. The problem is that by the time he gets them, many have already developed their own standards. So you say, just don’t recruit them. Well, I don’t know of a test you could run on them to totally screen for character

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The two numbers the AJC columnist seem interested in are the number of players arrested and the status of who posts first on these blogs. I would suggest to them they be more concerned with the number of people paying for subscriptions. Honestly, the AJC seems to see four seasons for college football: (1) recruiting / spring game, (2) the summer arrest records for underage drinking, (3) the summer practices, and (4) the actual season. The problem is they are in that order in the minds of the AJC.

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Shane….the only time Spurrier embarrassed another team is when Florida put up 60 points…and there is nothing wrong with that, my friend (sort of like when Nebraska did the same to Florida in the championship game…Florida couldn’t stop them and that was Florida’s fault, not Nebraska’s. It is the other team’s responsiblity to play defense…be it the first quarter or the fourth quarter. Spurrier was just running his offense in those days…even with his 2nd and 3rd team QBs and WRs were in the game. I can’t recall one time when all his players ran onto the field/end zone to celebrate together in front of the other team after a TD.

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Everybody wants to talk about CMR being a good Christian and all….then how come he discriminates against white athletes. Has he ever recruited a white running back? Maybe if he did he might win a national championship.

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Bring me back and these problems will go away because I am the best coach.

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They were just following my example.

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” I can’t police the team or players 24 hours a day. What else can I do?”…..Hey coach Richt use that excuse from now on.

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Let’s face it, some kids and adults are just not very bright and make stupid decisions. I can understand this situation much better than what Evans did, allowing that both his arrest and the arrest of the two players makes UGA look very bad right now, but things will get better. I believe CMR is the man for the job at UGA. Maybe the players themselves should step up and hold each other accountable.

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The problem could be Athens, GA. According to Athlon Sports UGA is located in arguably the finest college town in America- Athens.

How could a college student possibly have fun in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Gainesville, Florida, Baton Rouge, Louisiana or Knoxville, Tennessee (not withstanding all the moonshine)?

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Tide Rising please the voiding of wins at Bama wasn’t just because the football players STOLE yes STOLE textbooks..16 of 19 sports had team members doing it. ..tell you what lets look at it this way on which school was the sanctions from the NCAA greatest ? UGA didn’t lose TWO years and change in football wins BAMA did.My Dawgs may drink underage but they don’t sit around with the other student athletes and plan on how to rip off the school. You want to bring up Jan Kemp who has nothing to do with CMR just like the CURRENT NCAA sanctions against Bama have nothing to do with Saban..but you will lose that battle my friend..everytime. You always want to talk about how Dog fans want to keep their heads in the sand..wipe your eyes..

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