Richt on taxi incident: ‘I hope in the future people just reserve their opinions’
ATHENS — At his post-practice meeting with reporters Tuesday night, Georgia coach Mark Richt reacted at length to Monday’s statement by Athens-Clarke County police that UGA football players were not involved in an alleged March 28 attack on a married couple in an Athens taxi van. Police said the only UGA player in the cab acted as a peacemaker.
Richt’s reaction:
“I’m just glad that it all came out and that none of our guys were a problem. . . . The thing that is hard to take is just all the time and all the speculation and everybody just assuming it was our guys and assuming they would do these things.
“That’s just the thing about the Internet and police reports and all that kind of thing. It’s hard for anybody to really know what the reality is, but your mind starts racing and you start assuming things that may or may not be true. . . .
“That [why] the first time [reporters] asked me about it, I was, like, ‘I don’t want to underreact, I don’t want to overreact, because I really don’t know.’ Even me as a coach, I could assume that thing is true and get all bent out of shape and make myself crazy. But then on the other hand you don’t want to act like there’s not a possibility it could be. You don’t want to underreact or overreact. . . .
“I’m just thankful the news came out the way it did. . . . Let’s say it had taken another week or two. Who knows how much longer people would be forming their opinions on our guys when, in fact, they weren’t involved in this? That’s just kind of the way it goes. . . .
“I just hope that as much time as everybody spent reporting that, I hope they spend as much time reporting it was not our guys. If anything, somebody [the player who police said acted as a peacemaker] was trying to help out some people who needed help. . . . I hope in the future people just reserve their opinions and their posts and whatever they may have and just wait until you find all the information before you start throwing stones, you know.”
Also:
Tuesday practice notebook: Gamble moves to outside linebacker, etc.
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262 comments Add your comment
Amazing
April 7th, 2010
1:19 am
BuLLDawg, I don’t know what you do for a living, probably nothing. I can’t imagine anything worse than having you for a boss, or an employee for that matter. You really need to seek help! You must have had a bad childhood or something. Seriously, get some counseling. I hate to see anyone that unhappy!
BuLLdawg
April 7th, 2010
1:23 am
I was convinced this was never a story, and reserved my opinion on it until now that a Georgia Bulldogs’ Football Player was out at 2 am drunk according to the reports hanging out with 3 others who very clearly did assault and commit battery both a woman and a man, whom he then had to defend as the 3 guys he was picked up with at 2 am Sunday night a week ago (Monday 2 am) made it quite clear that he knew exactly whom it was he The Georgia Bulldogs’ Football player (obviously the 1 recruited LAST YEAR) was out on the town with. Thugs of this obvious nature were not just all of a sudden this way with the woman and the man in the Taxi. They always are this way. And, he had to be peace maker. By the way, he did a fine job of being peace maker with his 3 buds, who by the way will be in prison for quite some time to come for that which they did do.
BuLLdawg
April 7th, 2010
1:42 am
You see ?
You are supposed to be 2-faced if you want to be a University of Georgia Bulldogs’ fan. You are supposed to say how horrible the vols were under Phil Fulmer getting 20 arrested / suspended in a couple of years before he was fired, how horrible Urban Meyer was having 24 arrested / suspended as soon as he got to Florida, how horrible Alabama is having NCAA take away their wins for allowing their football players to get books and then sell them for cash and play their players, and saying how there is NO EXCUSE for ACTUALLY PLAYING Reuben Houston the whole entire football game against UGA after his Felony Arrest / Suspension; but when our own players are LOSERS of 10 of the last 20 games against SEC East teams alone the last 4 years and have now 90 arrested / suspended, you are supposed to make up EXCUSES and say oh we kicked him off the team never mind he was arrested 3 times as a University of Georgia Bulldogs’ Football player for beating up a girl repeatedly, and he was only on a side alley on a scooter and it’s not bad that an 18-year old is drunk, obstructing the police in the 1st place which is why they figured out he was drunk and disorderly conduct yelling at the police who were trying to break up a brawl, and now reserve opinion on a 2 a.m. drunk football player doing such a fine job of defusing the situation in the Taxi with his 3 thug hoodlum friends he is out on the town with that they ONLY told the woman that she would love her some of his big … that they ONLY slapped the man and hit the woman.
That’s how you be a good Bulldog fan, while we are in decline LOSING 10 of the last 20 SEC East games. You certainly cannot be a good Bulldog fan and say this is all just excessively much.
Mark Fox
April 7th, 2010
2:27 am
Tweet!
None of my players get arrested! Oh wait…nevermind.
Terreal Bierra
April 7th, 2010
2:31 am
Yo Reuban ain’t got nothin on me.
I straight up murder people! Drug dealing is for pansies. Woof woof woof!
http://www.ajc.com/sports/former-uga-player-charged-167891.html
BuLLdawg
April 7th, 2010
2:33 am
Quote
by
barneyb
April 6th, 2010 11:30 am
“I hate to agree with Saint Simons. I’m an alumn, but there is some truth to UGA becoming Thug U. CMR better grow a set and come down hard on these young men. Building character? How? When a team depends on you and you pull the stupid stunts and criminal acts that some of them have, one has to wonder if the inmates are running the institution. This has been a perfect storm brewing. If you gave me a free ride to UGA, I wouldn’t be getting tanked at downtown bars or beating up women. Disgusting.”
Arrests from 2005-2009
April 7th, 2010
2:43 am
Michael Lemon (aggravated battery)
Justin Anderson (simple battery)
Trinton Sturvidant (simple battery)
Blake Barnes (furnishing alcohol to a minor)
Tripp Chandler (minor in possession of alcohol)
Brandon Wood (DUI)
Kelvin Perez (DUI)
Vince Vance (knowingly driving with a suspended license)
Donovan Baldwin (DUI, reckless driving)
Fred Munzenmaier (underage possession of alcohol)
Jeff Henson (public urination)
Clint Boling (DUI)
Jeremy Lomax (reckless driving, possession of a concealed weapon without a license)
Matthew Prick (underage alcohol possession)
Tanner Strickland (fake identification)
Paul Taylor (battery)
Shane McCleskey (battery)
Akeem Hebron (underage possession of alcohol)
Antonio Sims (DUI)
Ian Smith (public intoxication)
Marquis Elmore (driving with a suspended license)
Dannell Ellerbe (DUI)
Kedrick Golston (disorderly conduct, bar fight)
Derrick White (disorderly conduct, bar fight)
Tavares Kearney (simple battery)
Derrick White (DUI)
Zeb McKinzey (underage possession of alcohol)
Darrius Swain (driving with a suspended license)
Michael Turner (possession of less than an ounce of marijuana)
Rennie Curran (theft, taking a parking boot worth $350)
Mark Richt (stealing Helen Hunt’s face)
BuLLdawg
April 7th, 2010
3:09 am
That’s 91 arrested / suspended in the Coach Richt Era. I did not have him on the list of 90 when he was arrested January 2001. I said I don’t have all of them. I know that I recall that there was quite a storm from the day we hired Coach Richt 2 am December 20, 2000. As a matter of fact, it was so bad that Vince Dooley had to FORCE Coach Richt to show up. Coach Richt said that he wanted to go a coaches’ convention, and Vince MADE HIM come here instead. You recall he wanted to stay at FSU and coach them in that LOSING horrible offensive performance for FSU’s “potential national championship.” After the blow-out loss, he still did not come here. And, like I say wanted to then even go to a coaches’ convention for assistant coaches. Coach Richt was our head coach, and Terreal Bierria was our leading tackler for Coach Richt 2001. That’s 91 arrrests / suspensions documented on the Internet in the Coach Richt Era.
There is only 1 Derek recruited here last season. He then would be underage. 2:04 a.m. they waited until Wednesday to come forward on the assault and battery multiple counts. 1 of the witnesses said the 4 were drunk, right ? I am thinking this is brewing into 92. And, still the number is higher.
BuLLdawg
April 7th, 2010
3:23 am
Your list sucks.
You list 30 of the 56 University of Georgia Bulldogs’ Football Players arrested / suspended starting 2005 and ending 2009.
AMSTERDAM SAM
April 7th, 2010
4:19 am
It is amazing how you barely ambling wrecks as Georgia VO-Tech refuse to let sound reasoning enlighten you (no Georgia player involved) and just drop the subject as the police have and move on with your pitiful little lives and buzz away. I guess winning only one game every ten years does that. Are there no Wrecked-Tech blogs you can go to, or is the attendance there the sam as at your games – nonexciting and virtually nonexitent. And why don’t you change your mascot to what it should really bee – bumbling bees? Shoo off our blog.
JJ
April 7th, 2010
4:38 am
Atleast UGA students aren’t idiot astonauts, stupid fighter pilots or anti-American terrorists.
Brenda
April 7th, 2010
5:15 am
hey CMR, get with it. if we heard “coach richt was arrested for starting a fight in a taxi” we would have doubts because that would seem out of the ordinary, right? but because you have created FSU-North-Thug-U in Athens, it doesnt seem to hard to believe. Was I wrong to think “I bet Montez beat her ass” when I saw he had been arrested again? dont be such a baby, CMR. this is bigboy football, not prayer circle 101.
bob
April 7th, 2010
5:21 am
We also found out that Tiger’s wife was using the golf club to save him after the wreck. You bloggers jumped to the wrong conclusion there as well.
Who cares? Hey Richt, how about playing for a SEC championship sometime.
Notso Fast
April 7th, 2010
5:27 am
Coach R makes a good point. Why would anyone jump the gun and think a Bulldog player might be involved with legal problems? Look at the record and I think you can understand. I’m still not real sure that they weren’t and that is bad.
dagnabit
April 7th, 2010
5:51 am
Let me get this right; a press conference to whine about football players not being involved in breaking the law. Is this a slow day for Mark? Or is Mark just slow.
DawgNation
April 7th, 2010
6:00 am
BuLLdawg,
You must have been tired tonight just staying up till 3.23 am after coming home from you night shift job. I am assuming you are not allowed to talk much less express your insane opinions at work and you have to run home and jump on the AJC to get all your frustrations off. Do you pre write all that cr@p? You really have nothing to add to any subject here. Please find another team to be a so called fan of and post on their blogs. You obviously have no clue about what you are blabbering about.
God bless him....
April 7th, 2010
6:04 am
Richt is a good guy, but he sure isnt the sharpest knife in the drawer.
dc
April 7th, 2010
6:22 am
Why do athletes put themselves in situations where things like this are beleiveable??
jerry
April 7th, 2010
7:04 am
Once again, how did the police come to the conclusion that the player was a “peacemaker”? Did they ask the player what his role was and he said “peacemaker”?
Dixie=Idiot
April 7th, 2010
7:14 am
Yeah Dixie! More arrest to come after the Dogs slam, and I mean slam GT this year in Athens. It will be such a brutal beatdown….y’all might need to call law enforcement to stop the slam down that will occur ‘tween the hedges.
Mark
April 7th, 2010
7:22 am
don’t usually agree with BuLLdawg but his post at 1:42 AM has ALOT of truth in it
AltamahaDawg
April 7th, 2010
7:25 am
The guilty parties seem to be tripping over each other to raise thier hands in here this morning.
Let it be
April 7th, 2010
7:38 am
its over move on! GATA
dawgma
April 7th, 2010
7:39 am
Yeah – the dawgs may have jailbirds BUT we still beat the dope smuggling, credit card stealing Jackets!
Nativebird
April 7th, 2010
7:39 am
CMR, it’s tough being a major college HC with all the money and fame that comes with it…isn’t it. We’re all just broken hearted over ya buddy. Really. (sniffle).
» SEC links: Archie denied sixth season at USC John Clay’s Sidelines
April 7th, 2010
7:41 am
[...] Mark Richt reacts to taxi incident aftermath, reports Tim Tucker of the AJC. [...]
Bwaaaahhhhhhhh
April 7th, 2010
7:46 am
Just recruit players with better character and start beating Kentucky and Florida like CMR is paid to do. Stay off the front page news and get back on the front sport page in wins!
Bwaaaahhhhhhhh
April 7th, 2010
7:47 am
CMR ony needs to blame himself for this mess.
Bwaaaahhhhhhhh
April 7th, 2010
7:51 am
CMR hasnt handled off field problems as well as he should have. One game suspension for you know who… Really?
buzz
April 7th, 2010
7:57 am
This is good news and I am happy that the truth prevailed and that these young mens lives were not ruined by false accusations.
Dawg Tired
April 7th, 2010
7:59 am
I’m just gald BuLLdawg is not our coach.
Paddy
April 7th, 2010
8:06 am
Jimmy………if you don’t like paying for part of CMR salary, stop donating to the Assn. You can contain your anger by just withholding your own money. Case closed. Don’t you feel better now?
shreveport
April 7th, 2010
8:10 am
{{{shreveport}}} just sayin’
17 of 20
April 7th, 2010
8:16 am
Ya’ll get off the coaches back. I think he is doing a great job.
dap01
April 7th, 2010
8:19 am
Imagine what Urban Myers reaction would have been. It is nice to have a balanced coach like CMR.
Tim Teblow
April 7th, 2010
8:25 am
Can someone please not allow “BullDawg” and “Reality” to use this blog anymore?? It’s obvious that they are unstable and need counseling. I feel like they may kill themselves if the Bulldogs lose to Tennessee or Florida! Come on guys, it’s just a game. I love the Dawgs too but at the end of the day, they just played a football game!
Gen Neyland
April 7th, 2010
8:25 am
Tune up your harp, polish your old halo…In a mad rush to become the ‘first’ to break yet another big story regarding student-athletes gone wild, somebody fumbled..?
We're still here
April 7th, 2010
8:25 am
45-42 in the Greatest Game Ever Played. It was magical that November evening in 2008. The glow continues.
Jim n Buckhead
April 7th, 2010
8:38 am
The Sporting News was the worse one but I doubt that there will be a correction….
9 of 10
April 7th, 2010
8:38 am
(((9 out of 10))) just sayin’. Thanks for all the wins!
Georgia Fan
April 7th, 2010
8:40 am
“Greatest Game Ever Played” ?!?!?
BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Blue
April 7th, 2010
8:46 am
I’ll “reserve my opinion” when he stops giving breaks to kids like Robinson that have already proven that they are not worthy of the school giving him a scholarship for ANY reason.
Gen Neyland
April 7th, 2010
8:46 am
BuLLdawg says :”I also give a flip that The University of Georgia continues to have our good name smeared. You don’t. I do.”
BuLLdung, if UGA wasn’t on the ’smeared list’, they would be Vandy…
UGA89
April 7th, 2010
8:58 am
I call BS. Richt has to take some responsibility because of the type of athlete’s he has been bringing in over the last few years. When was it, less than two years ago, when there was a stretch of time where about a dozen UGA football players –not UGA athletes– but specifically UGA football players were arrested for one thing or another.
It’s a little difficult to ‘reserve your opinions’ on a UGA athlete being reported as in trouble with the law when you’ve seen it so many times before. Perhaps Richt should check his opinions of the type of athlete’s he’s bringing in to my alma-mater –he’s failed too many times in terms of what a ’student’athlete’ is supposed to be.
Lake Oconee Dawg
April 7th, 2010
8:59 am
Jimmy:
Coach ain’t living on your money, Jimmy…Just cause you pull for the dawgs, probably only when they’re winning, you have no rights here…
Bulldawg: YOU’RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO BE FIRED….GO BACK ANOTHER TEAM, YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO BULLDOG FANS, PLAYERS, COACHES, AND EVERYTHING BULLDOG….YOU PROBABLY A TECH GUY IN DISGUISE….
Barack Dawg
April 7th, 2010
9:00 am
Jimmy – Mark Richt nor any other high paid coach gets paid to hear from the fans. They get paid to produce results and win. He has done his job. The worst year he has had 8 – 5 last year.
Now the issue is exactly as he pointed out:
1. You morons get on the blog and start spewing what you think the situation is.
2. The media is an entertainment business not a news business so they don’t report the whole story on anything and always slant it to what is going to get people interested.
The problem is the fans / people / society because they are only interested in the negative not the positive. If that was not the case, then the entertainment industry would not have to slant it that way to get people to read.
Likewise, American Society has ADD and can’t focus for more than 30 seconds anyway and could not gather a real collective thought without having the media tell you what to think so just go back to the North Ave Trade School blog and stay off the UGA blog.
Bama Fans need a Reality Check
April 7th, 2010
9:05 am
Ramma Bama,
CLEAN PROGRAM & Alabama, NEVER go in the SAME sentence unless the word NOT is also included. Tell us how clean ol’ Nicky is running the program when he keeps 15 coaches on his staff, 6 of which are disguised as “graduate assistants” since the legal maximum is 9. Tell us about how the same guy who was the key cog in landing UCF in hot water for recruiting violations which lead to 2 years probabtion for their football program is now the SAME guy who is Alabama’s DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL, one Ed Marynowitz, aka “YOUR CHEATING HERO”. Bama never has & never will run a “CLEAN program”, you know it, I know it, we all know it. That said, you and the rest of your blind-homer, hypocritcal brethren can keep on yelling RTR but the only time Bama is playing by the rules is when the NCAA steps in, slaps em’ with probation and oversees the criminal operation that is the Alabama football program. My advice to you & all other Bama blowhards, truly relish & enjoy your football success while you can, ol’ NCAA investigation committee is just a phone call away from putting your cheating program back under the microscope where they have proven time & time again, is exactly where they belong!
Roll CHEATING Tide Roll!
DawginLex
April 7th, 2010
9:09 am
Bulldawg,
Your constant bashing does no good other than to raise your own blood pressure. The only thing Ray goff ever said during his tenure as head coach worth quoting is this “if you are pleasing everybody, you probably ain’t doing nothing”.
If you want a perfect world where everybody behaves, you aren’t going to get it. That extends to the world in general and to the football team at UGA.
Coach Richt is probably a much better man than he is a coach but he is still a pretty darn good coach. He has made tough decisions and will continue to make them. He is an honorable God fearing man and I’m proud to have him as our coach.
Go spew your venom somewhere else because all of us are sick of reading it.
Georgia Fan
April 7th, 2010
9:12 am
I agree with other Dawg fans’ sentiment that it’s difficult to not jump to conclusions when it’s been a regular occurrence the past few off seasons for a slew of arrests/incidents to occur. There in fact was a UGA football player involved, thankfully not in the light that was originally cast. Sports writers should be held to a higher standard, but can CMR really blame fans for assuming the worst? Get real, Mark…or better yet, go a few seasons with ZERO arrests and then tell fans to lay off.
Second, why does CMR give a hoot about posts on pages like this and others that are critical of his program? The proverbial “opinions are like a-holes” applies — if I were CMR, I would tell all of my players that I prefer them not to read the blogs but if they choose to do so, take everything that is posted with a grain of salt because the opinions are likely misinformed at best.
He sounds a little like Tiger did at the 1st press conference — the private one. You get paid the big bucks to stand in the limelight — sometimes the heat is turned up but hey, that comes with the territory. Deal with it.
Yellow Cab
April 7th, 2010
9:17 am
We like a peacemaker riding in our cab at 2:00 a.m. on a monday before PRACTICE !