Moody’s recruitment, release a mystery
A full day after I had left him my first message, Boyd English, the principal at Emanuel County Institute, finally called me back yesterday. He said he wanted to make a statement about Dexter Moody, the ECI linebacker from whom Georgia rescinded its scholarship offer after Moody got into some recent trouble at the school.
I was hoping Mr. English was going to shed a little light onto this murky situation but he really didn’t. Moody told me he was recently suspended for an argument he had with one of his teachers down there. Mr. English would neither confirm or deny that. “That was Georgia’s decision and I won’t go into that,” he said. The only thing he’d go on the record about was Moody’s character.
“Dexter is like any other 17-year-old student-athlete that has remarkable athleticism,” English told me. “Our job as educators is to prepare Dexter for the future, for life after high school. Dexter’s a great kid and I don’t want things portrayed negatively about one of my students. Dexter’s not a trouble-maker and he’s going to have some other great opportunities.”
Meanwhile, rumors continue to swirl as to what may have actually occurred and just how serious it may have been. I know this: Georgia doesn’t freely yank scholarship offers from prep All-American linebackers it has already signed. And the Bulldogs aren’t talking either. Because they rejected his national letter of intent, they’re saying Moody is now a “recruitable prospect” and NCAA rules won’t permit them to comment on him. Meanwhile, Moody tells me it’s not that big of a deal because he really didn’t want to go to UGA anyway.
Moody’s coach, Milan Turner, was quoted as saying Georgia had given Moody a list of steps he needed to follow in order to meet all the requirements for admission and eligibility and that Moody hadn’t done so. With all the mystery surrounding Moody’s recruitment, I’m left to wonder if the Bulldogs had any business signing this kid in the first place.
What’s your impression?
UPDATE ON MOODY:
I received a response to the open records request I filed with UGA regarding the decision to revoke Dexter Moody’s letter of intent. The information is not very enlightening, quite frankly. Just some letters from CMR to Moody congratulating him on signing with Georgia and some correspondences from UGA admissions to the school stating they were missing some important information on both Moody and fellow ECI signee Washaun Ealey. The only thing that was remotely telling was an e-mail from athletic admissions administrator Glada Horvat to a UGA admissions person stating, “We are releasing Dexter Moody from his Letter of Intent today (3/16). Apparently there was some altercation at the school. . . .” She went on to instruct him to pull some kind of form and let Moody’s application get rejected.
Now for some links:
Here’s our report from Tim Tucker on Georgia’s first day of spring football practice. . . .
You have to love this: Donald Trump blogs about Herschel Walker. Walker is currently on the cast of Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice Show. . . .
Apparently the press conference Florida State President T.K. Wetherell held in Tallahassee yesterday was quite entertaining . . . and revealing.
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59 comments Add your comment
Dawgtime
March 18th, 2009
4:46 pm
I am amazed at the comments of some fans. People are criticizing Mark Richt for supporting his son. That is insane. Coach is a Christian man that is looking out for his son. I admire him. He is a great human being. For the record, I also respect the coach at GT. He is a no nonsense person that demands kids to act and perform appropriately. I like that. In terms of Kiffin, he seems desperate. He will do or say anything to draw attention to his school. As a parent, that would be a red flag because those types tend to resort to anything to win. At this time, that is not a stable situation. When middle-aged men are exposing their flab to young teenagers, I begin to wonder about their mental stability. What message is he relaying to his student athletes? As a parent, I want a coach that will help my son become a quality young man and not some insane fanatic. I’m not saying that he is a bad coach or a bad person, rather he needs to settle down and realize the tradition that he is representing. UT is a great program that has a tradition of class and success. Southern gentlemen do not become gossip queens. In terms of the Moody kid, I respect Mark Richt for taking a tough stand on this kid. We cannot tolerate thugs threatening teachers. In the grand scheme, I hope this kid drops the thug attitude and becomes a quality young man. He seems that have developed an arrogant mindset and that hurt him. The message is clear to all the other signees. UGA is tired of the discipline issues and you must act appropriately if you want to remain on scholarship. I really like that. Turn off the detrimental videos, make men responsible for their actions, and put school first. That will change many of these kids’ lives. Many of these kids are growing up without fathers and in poverty and need true guidance. I am happy to see many of these kids receiving scholarships because in many ways that is their only hope for a better life, but they have to realize that they have to become men and not thug punks. Go DAWGS.
Dawgtime
March 18th, 2009
4:49 pm
The reason that UGA doesn’t have any public commitments is because we have so few scholarships to offer (Less than 15). That means that we must be very selective. Who care when a kid commits? All that matters is that we get our share of great players in the end. The truth is that we probably have a few of secret commitments. It means nothing until next February.
AltamahaDawg
March 18th, 2009
6:50 pm
Gen, he better put the ixna on messing with ossba’s ifewa wherever he goes.
Thomas
March 18th, 2009
8:32 pm
Bottom line is this: All of you white guys (and I’m white) with the plantation mentality of “our black guys can beat your black guys” need to find another pursuit of pleasure than college football. Its time has passed, unfortunately.
David
March 18th, 2009
8:43 pm
I dont believe for one second that he didnt wunna go to UGA. the reason he said that was because he was trying to act like it dont bother him but he knows it does but oh well he would of made a great linebacker if he had of stayed out of trouble but mark richt is clearly making a statement that Georgia is not going to sign trouble makers anymore after all the arrests from last year.
GO DAWGS!
superDAWG
March 18th, 2009
8:59 pm
UGA should let these guys go.They would be the TO’s of college football let them go to tech or tenn.where they could fit in.Hey ramble starship needs you.
Steve
March 20th, 2009
3:34 pm
CMR probably saw this kid turning into another Odell Thurman. Odell played some great ball for UGA but missed as many games as he started due to discipline issues. He continued his idiot ways in the NFL and has since been suspended indefinitely. He’ll be broke soon if not already.
Georgia Bulldogs To Rescind Dexter Moody’s Scholarship
March 22nd, 2009
4:23 pm
[...] Moody’s Recruitment, Release A Mystery – AJC.com [...]
'09 GA LB Dexter Moody - Page 9 - VolNation
April 15th, 2009
11:26 am
[...] Originally Posted by U-T I think it is embarrassing that we would take him on He has a LONG, LONG rap sheet from not just his team but his city and anyone around him will tell you that. Whether it is constant fights, threats, missing meetings, etc….nothing new, by the way The fact that Richt cut loose completely so early says something when they keep on people like Odell Thurman and others. I have never read or heard anything like that about this kid. Where are you finding it?