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.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
262 comments Add your comment
kingster
April 7th, 2010
2:40 pm
LCDawg, man you should check out Tech’s blog, there are more UGA fans dogging out Tech that TECH fans giving comments, you guys (uga) are just sick, if you want to read something and comment about it look a little futher in this blog on how many UGA football players had run in with the law, check out “Arrest from 2005 – 2009″ what do you think about that(thats a lot of stupid stuff), please clean up your own house before you start bad mouthing a team who doesn’t really care what you do.Come back now!!!
Cherokee
April 7th, 2010
2:44 pm
Russ ….I do believe they give several million to the school every year, when they don’t have to. Also look at the money that is made at the book store every time there is a home game. The athletics dept is not hurting the university or state. It would be more like they are helping both.
how2fish
April 7th, 2010
2:58 pm
Bama fan great post you make some great points…my point is that with soooo many “fans” today ANYTHING that happens results in calls for the HC’s head..he is a cheater, a manic , too hard ,too soft etc. It’s texbooks at Bama, tennis shoes at FSU or UM can’t even remember. We as a collective fan base of college football need to remember what our Mother taught us “if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything” I’m even alright with updated that to “if your can’t say something nice or INFORMATIVE don’t say anything”. We have the best talent and coaches and fans in the nation IMHO in the SEC..but we could be a little bit nicer to each other…we can hate each other on gamedays but we should retain a little civility the rest of the time..
Gatorzone
April 7th, 2010
3:00 pm
Bamafan, I thought the tide got on probation after Gene Jelks admitted to receiving illegal payments from a supporter that owned a car lot in Alabama. Didn’t that happen?
Gatorzone
April 7th, 2010
3:03 pm
How2fish, well said. THE BEST CONFERENCE IN THE COUNTRY!!!
SEC
SEC
SEC
GO GATORS!
Bama fan
April 7th, 2010
3:21 pm
Gatorzone,
I remember Gene Jelks and that was investigated by the NCAA and if I remember correctly nothing became of it although I could be wrong. The alleged problem was that he got cash and financing for a beat up $500 pinto circa 1985. This was in the 80s and our first probation ever wasn’t till the 90s like 94 and that’s why I don’t think anything became of it. The running joke around Bama was that if we were cheating we better do a lot better job of it since the beat up pinto in question was worth about $500. Everyone knew that herschel was driving a new trans am 2 years earlier at Georgia so we of course were shaking our heads as to how financing for a piece of crap car could be an allegation.
beatdowns galore
April 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
Fire Dave Perno!!!! This guy has rested on his laurels since his big choke 2 years ago . 15 – 5 to Clemson is unacceptable at home. Damon Evans is letting the big 3 sports program at UGA getting totally embarrassed with the frequent beatdowns and losses to Mickey Mouse Colleges. UGA please fire this clown in Damon Evans too !!!!
harvey wallbanger
April 7th, 2010
5:37 pm
we have heard that before,
the difference; Dungy won it all, Richt never will.
BuLLdawg
April 8th, 2010
6:30 am
QUOTE
by
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.”
Bulldog59
April 8th, 2010
3:33 pm
This just in…..Urban Meyer has ban the reporter of the taxi cab incident from the state of Florida.
Bulldog59
April 8th, 2010
4:08 pm
BuLLdawg/UGA89, I agree CMR should take responsibility for the Robinson situation. But, be careful in your rush question the caliber of individual CMR is recruiting. He knew Montez Robinson was from a “Blind Side” background, growing up partially in a rough foster care system in Indiana. CMR knew there could be issues but gave Robinson a shot; it didn’t work out. But, CMR also rolled the dice on foster care kids, Demarcus Dobbs and DeAngelo Tyson, they turned out pretty good kids, on and off the field! I’m looking forward to watching both of them start on D line this season.
flagboy nation
April 10th, 2010
8:03 am
i think it was two baton twirlers from the train building school making out and posing as Tech players..getting ready for the GT baton twirling spring festival in Atlanta….lmfao…stay off our blogs tech fans your team is getting ready to scrimmage the frat boys in flagboy football