Richt on NCAA probe: ‘We’ll see what they gather’ (UPDATED)
(11:29 a.m. and 12:04 p.m. updates below)
HOOVER, Ala. – Georgia’s delegation arrived here this morning for SEC Media Days and immediately faced questions about Wednesday’s news that the NCAA will send investigators to campus for an “inquiry.”
In interviews before their formal appearances before the media later this morning, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green said he has “never” been to Miami, where various players’ attendance at an agent’s party reportedly led to NCAA probes at three other schools, and coach Mark Richt said he doesn’t believe the NCAA inquiry will necessarily bring bad news.
“I don’t know if it is [bad news] or not, quite frankly,” Richt said. “By the way you posed the question, you’re saying it’s never good news [when the NCAA investigates]. Then you’re saying it’s bad news. I don’t necessarily think it is bad news.
“I’m sure they’re gathering information, but we’ll see what they gather.”
Richt said he does not believe the NCAA probe will be a distraction to the team, which starts preseason practice on Aug. 2.
Asked if he is worried at this point about having a player or players declared ineligible, Richt said: “I’m not going to make any comment about anything having to do with the investigation.”
Asked if the NCAA is looking into the activities of one player or more than one player, Richt said: “I don’t know at all. And actually I’m asked not to make any comment about it.”
UGA associate athletic director Claude Felton said the NCAA requested that the school’s officials, coaches and players not comment on the matter until the inquiry is completed.
Green, Georgia’s top pro prospect, has said that he was asked by a Georgia official on Tuesday if he attended the agent’s party in Miami and that he said no.
He reiterated this morning that he has “never” been to Miami.
“I’m not even focused on that,” Green said of the tumult about the NCAA probe. “I’m just focused on getting ready for the season.”
Asked if he is worried about what might come of the investigation, Green said simply: “No.”
Asked if it is a hassle, he said: “Not really. Just random stuff, but it’s not a hassle.”
UPDATE 11:25 A.M.:
Before the full media contingent, Richt’s topic turned to his team and the approaching season, of all things.
He seemed decidedly upbeat.
“Everything I’ve seen so far makes me think we’re going to have what it takes from an emotional standpoint, a physical standpoint,” he said.
Despite a turbulent off-season that has included the arrests of seven players, the arrest and resignation of the athletic director and now an NCAA inquiry, Richt said it has been a good offseason from a football standpoint.
“There is an energy we have this offseason we probably haven’t had in a while,” he said.
Richt said the team has high respect for redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray and is rallying around him. Richt said he believes the offense will be improved this season with a good complement of run and pass. He said he hopes Green stays healthy all season and believes he will improve as a blocker.
And to the inevitable question of how he feels about reports putting him on the occupational “hot seat,” Richt said: “I understand the business. I understand how things go. I don’t worry about it.”
UPDATE 12:04 P.M.:
In the big ballroom before the full media contingent here, A.J. Green honored the request by Georgia officials that he not discuss the NCAA inquiry.
Asked if that frustrates him, if there are things he would like to say but can’t, he said: “It’s not my place to comment on it. I don’t feel like I have to.”
On another matter, Green confirmed that he has taken out an insurance policy to protect his future potential NFL earnings against a career-ending injury.
More to come.
Please follow @ajcuga for quick updates from Media Days.
Earlier story updated: NCAA contacts UGA, says it will launch ‘inquiry’
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247 comments Add your comment
Gatorzone
July 22nd, 2010
12:33 pm
Tampa, that was a clip from Katy’s blog. Her words not mine. That is why i said she was delusional
Schmeckdawg
July 22nd, 2010
12:33 pm
Dawgsrunthisstate, let’s not forget to remind all of the dirt daubers out there about the quality OL or DL that caved some little girl’s face in a few years back.
Ah The Joke by Coke…get some windex for those glass houses you idiots live in!!!!!!!
S FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation
July 22nd, 2010
12:33 pm
Yes we will see you in J-ville Gators….and I for one am expecting one hell of a game! I know you have a good squad in G-ville, but don’t sleep on the Dawgs this year. Feel free to think and say what you want, but if I were you I be more than a little nervous about your chances in J-ville this year. Just sayin….
Gatorzone
July 22nd, 2010
12:35 pm
I think Lane Kiffin is behind all of this!
Dawgsrunthisstate
July 22nd, 2010
12:35 pm
SSIgator so i guess you’re one of those perfect people that never drank before you were 21 or hell maybe you don’t drink at all. Kids underage drinking is not that big of an issue it happens all day everyday! You gator fans crack me up do you remember Dunlap, jenkins,hannah, johnson,cooper, newton, rickerson,davis cunningham, james, hammond i could go on and on!! Give me a BREAK!!!! Some of those got some pretty serious charges also!
SSIgator
July 22nd, 2010
12:36 pm
S FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation -
The only thing I get nervous about in Jax is if some moron is parked in my reserved parking place.
UGADawg 27
July 22nd, 2010
12:37 pm
I don’t think AJ went to Miami. He is the most down to earth person I have ever met. Plus I’ve heard he has debit card receipts with dates and pictures to prove that he was home and not in South Beach. In the case that he was there, we beat Tech without him, so I’m not entirely concerned… 30-24.
Cabo
July 22nd, 2010
12:37 pm
Georgia Tech will not be investigated by the NCAA. The NCAA stated to be investigated Georgia Tech would have to actually have a Athletic Program. Since there are no signs of anything resembeling an Athletic Progam at Georgia Tech we have no reason to be concerned with this trade school. However, if Tickle Piles ever become a NCAA sanctioned sport Georgia Tech will be the first school to be investigated.
Gatorzone
July 22nd, 2010
12:40 pm
Dawgsrunthisstate
July 22nd, 2010
Some of us have better sense than throwing stones from our glass house! We got our own issues in Gainesville, like everyone else.
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
12:42 pm
TUCK FECH have you seen UGA schedule? Tech schedule has a record from last year of 87 wins and 62 loses compared to UGA schedule from last year of 78 wins and 74 loses. BOY don’t work too hard there dawgs.
Lunchtime links: An unjust system | Hog Country Online
July 22nd, 2010
12:43 pm
[...] coach Mark Richt says, “We’ll see what they gather” in the NCAA [...]
Bob Marley
July 22nd, 2010
12:44 pm
Don’t worry..Every lil thing’s gonna be all right!
GO DAWGS!
Dawgsrunthisstate
July 22nd, 2010
12:45 pm
Thank you Gatorzone!! It doesn’t matter what school they are at there are too many making poor decisions! It’s sad to see and it goes on at every school. I know there just kids but they are being given a great oppurtunity and need to take full advantage of it.
TampaGator
July 22nd, 2010
12:47 pm
GatorZone…
Please accept my apology….I read your post too quickly.
TUCK FECH
July 22nd, 2010
12:49 pm
I have a package for you KimZ! Really what does the SEC media days got to do with the ACC (All Coast Clear)? Stop obsessing over the DAWGS!
DAWGS RUN THIS STATE!
dawggirl
July 22nd, 2010
12:52 pm
Katy, do not presume to speak for all UGA fans. I have a degree from there, and it is not worthless. My older brother does as well, and he is running a corporation. We lead full and exciting lives. One of my closest friends is a Tech fan, she didn’t go there but her father was a professor there, and her older brothers did attend Tech. One married a UGA grad, and they are the happiest couple you will ever see.
So in other words, don’t speak and make yourself look like a complete idiot. Unless of course, that was your intention. In that case, job welll done.
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
12:53 pm
TUCK just because there is Dawg S..t in the yard don’t mean there is a dawg in the house.
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
12:54 pm
PS TUCK FECH after I pull out my package you would just hide in the corner and lick your butt.
TampaGator
July 22nd, 2010
12:54 pm
S FL Chapter…..
I don’t think 9 out of 10 Gator fans take the Georgia game as an easy victory for the Gators (and it most often isn’t for either team)….but we have grown used to winning in the last 20 years or so….but not spoiled. Georgia will be a very good team this year….but they will have to play at their very best to beat an excellent Gator team. I truly believe this year’s Gator team will be a lot better than last year’s Gator team….in overall balance and…better….effort and motivation. I honestly believe the Dawgs best chance to beat the Gators is if Florida beats Bama early. They could have a let down against the Dawgs. If Bama beats the Gators, the Gators will be on a mission to beat everyone and return to Atlanta to play Bama again. Just my opinion…not the facts.
Schmeckdawg
July 22nd, 2010
12:56 pm
Gatorzone, you may not be to far off on the kiffin call. Even as a DAWG fan I will have to give you a well played on this one! As far as drinking, I’m so damn old that the drinking age was 18 when I was rolling through!
dawggirl
July 22nd, 2010
12:58 pm
TampaGator, by far the most reasonable and respected Gator fan I’ve seen. Just curious as to how you see the loss of Tebow not only as a player, but also as a leader. Who is going to step up into that role? This is one of the reasons I see Florida as being not as strong as last year.
Lunchtime links: An unjust system | theSPORTSpage Arkansas
July 22nd, 2010
12:59 pm
[...] coach Mark Richt says, “We’ll see what they gather” in the NCAA [...]
Yellow Stinger
July 22nd, 2010
12:59 pm
Hope the NCAA doesn’t probe our Tech players in Piedmont Park!
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
12:59 pm
ROLLING THROUGH that is a great statement about getting a UGA Diploma. Just Roll Throught Town Stop at a Bar and get a Diploma as a Drink Coaster.
ryan
July 22nd, 2010
1:00 pm
The hole UGA football has not been arrested don’t go there !
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
1:02 pm
ryan the UGA players that went to jail did get HOLED though. the HOLE TEAM really?
JaxDawg
July 22nd, 2010
1:03 pm
Just beat Florida!
92 Dawg
July 22nd, 2010
1:04 pm
Techies…. return to your cubicles and get back to figuring out how to beat UGA more than once every nine years. LOSERS!
UGA is Just Fine...
July 22nd, 2010
1:05 pm
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I totally agree with Nick Saban on the agent issue.
First, yes the players should absolutely take responsiblity for their actions, but let’s put it into perspective. Many of the athletes in question come from poor backgrounds, with a high percentage of those in single parent homes where the mother is the sole bread-winner. As a player you see thousands of people buying/wearing a jeresy with your number on it at $100+ a peice, you play in front of 90K people each of whom represents $30 for the ticket (face value), and when you go home to visit your mother she is tired, stressed, and worried. She’s working two jobs to keep a roof over her and your sibling’s heads.
”
Then some agent’s runner comes to you and says, “hey kid I know things are tough for you. Here’s some cash to help your family out. Just remember where it came from when it’s time to sign with an agent.
Now two more years pass and the player is a much higher pro prospect than when he took the cash. He doesn’t like the deal the agent lays out and decides to go with another agent who’s offering a better deal. The first agent gets p*ssed and has someone turn him in for taking cash.
So what does the NCAA do? They investigate find that the allegations are true. Then they decide whether the school should have known about it, most cases they feel they should have. Now the player is long gone so you can’t suspend him or kick him off the team. There is no way for the NCAA to punish the agent, but a major violation took place and SOMEONE has to pay the price. So depending on the seriousness it could be anything up to and including loss of scholarships, forfeiting games already played (joke), and/or no post season play. But in this case let’s look at who really is at fault and who really gets punished.
The player is at fault for taking the money, but in many cases how many of us wouldn’t to help our mom? If you say no I would have enough integrity not to, I question your HONEST ability to put yourself in the position of helping your mother. Remember taking the cash is breaking a rule not a law.
The Agent/ Agent-runner, they are at fault for not playing by the rules but again it’s a competitive business and there’s really no penalty for them other than being called a “pimp or preadator” by Saban. They are just doing what they’ve always done and could care less about any collateral damage along the way.
So gets punished by the sanctions?
The current players- many of whom weren’t even on the team before said player committed the violation- just look at USC, none of those kids suffering from R.Bush’s deciscions even played with him. But they have to suffer by either staying on a team that isn’t even allowed to go to a bowl game – let alone win a championship of any sort OR transfer to another school and basically start over with one – two years less eligibility.
The alumni/fans – now have to suffer through the embarrassment not to mention watching an inferior product on the field AFTER they’ve dropped thousands for the right to buy tickets in hopes of watching a team with a chance of winning something.
So why should the agents or players do anything different? There’s no real teeth in the existing rules or laws.
What do you think Reggie Bush cares more about right now? – his now tarnished legacy at USC OR the millions of dollars he’s making as a pro in New Orleans?
Until there are consequences for those agents as Saban suggests this will continue. It should be like in drug enforcement where the dealers(agents) pay a heavier price than the users(players), but the innocent law abiding neighbors (alumni/fans) are protected from the bad element.
MissNancy
July 22nd, 2010
1:05 pm
So, I’m a GT guy. I posted the following words on a GT blog
“NBA? We can’t control them (or the NFL). But what’s their rush to get their hands on college players? They’ve got the athletes already turned pro. If all teams had to wait for graduation (or 4 years after high school), it would probably increase the quality of the pro game.
Unfortunately, an AD or a Coach cannot know what some kid is doing 24/7. If a school totally leaves character out of the equation when they recruit jocks, the likelihood of having a disaster is higher (see Bush, Reggie). We’ve been fortunate at GT with the quality of kids we have recruited. But you never know…………”
I’m sure its a small number of Rednecks who never set foot on the Athens campus…..but what is up with those guys who are so obsessed with saying that GT is irrelevant? Self-contradiction……
ATLGATOR
July 22nd, 2010
1:07 pm
Dog fans…Where there is smoke…there is usually fire…like in Gainesville and Tuscaloosa. If you Tech fans want a real NCAA investigation…start asking Tech players about tutors and “pre-tests”. Or get an assistant coach …who makes a Chatty Cathy sound like Marcel Marceau…at one of your booster club meetings.
S FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation
July 22nd, 2010
1:08 pm
S SIgator…LOL I bet that guys wearin Blue & Orange though! And probably smashed! I’ll be there, but who know where I’ll be parked…
TampaGator…That’s in interesting perspective. I agree with the balance thing. Y’all will have to be in my opinion. There are an equal amount of question for both squads! That’s why I’m calling for a head knockin, throw down that come down to the last possession…which I hope belongs to the team from the north! lol Which would make me drive back down south with a smile for the first time in two years
ugaman
July 22nd, 2010
1:08 pm
THE BEST THING WE COULD DO AS DAWG FANS IS TO NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE TECH FA#S WHO SAY ANYTHING ON OUR STORY BLOG. IT IS ALL THEY HAVE.
DIT
July 22nd, 2010
1:09 pm
Hard to say about AJ. He appears to be a good guy. My thought is that if we have yet to see any pictures of AJ at that party, with all of the cell phones with photo access, chances are good that he was not there. Of course it’s still early.
Love the comment about Kiffin. He is probably the one up to these investigations. ha ha
sthgaboy
July 22nd, 2010
1:13 pm
I guess the techies will be engraving their rings with the preseason rankings!
S FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation
July 22nd, 2010
1:14 pm
TampaGator…I know y’all have a plethra of tallent but do you feel like the younger guys can step up and take the lead like Spikes, Tebow, etc? Y’all lost A LOT of Sr’s!!!
MonticelloDawg
July 22nd, 2010
1:17 pm
I know it is asking a lot, considering this is the internet, but couldn’t there be at least some civility in our posts? Specifically, I am referring to some of the first messages on this topic, calling AJ Green a liar. There have been numerous cases of high school recruits being called thugs. This is an across-the-board thing with posters from every school being guilty of smearing young men who do not deserve it. It is not like we are talking about a bunch of politicians, who are older adults, and who have a track record of stretching the truth.
Todd
July 22nd, 2010
1:18 pm
TMZ has the goods. WHo do you believe. A desperate football player or a tabloid?
Aaron Murray SEC Freshman of the year
July 22nd, 2010
1:18 pm
it sure is sad that all these Tech fans get on the uga page since they have nothing else to talk about in ATL. why dont yall pay attention to the ACC media days. OH i forgot they arent a big deal and nobody cares. ACC= Americas Cupcake Confernece
S FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation
July 22nd, 2010
1:19 pm
UGAMAN…I couldn’t agree with you more, but I’m guilty of wanting to play Gallager and his Sleg-0-Matic with their melons after reading some of their posts! lol It’s really amusing! And irritating, but I know….that’s what their trying to do! LOL Damn it man…those Techies really make me feel like I’m dealing with little kids!!!! I guess I need to have one to know how to deal with them in a more adult way! lmao Too funny!!!
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
1:19 pm
SEC media day in HOVER? You can’t write this stuff. HOVER is where Damon Evans was headed before the cops pulled him over.
ryan
July 22nd, 2010
1:20 pm
South Beach is the place to be i not saying AJ was there but you got LeBron , Wade , Bosh then have the Kardashians plus Paris Hilton who doesn’t want to be in Miami. I’m just saying!
mike Jay
July 22nd, 2010
1:21 pm
Tech fans,
You do realize how sad you all look by coming into these UGA blogs and gloating. If you could actually beat UGA more than once a decade it would be different but it so obvious that you all are completely frustrated that you have to latch on to any sort of negativity about Georgia as your only means of feeling better about yourself. It’s just sad and you all should be ashamed. When somebody wrecks their car to you point and laugh? When an old lady trips and falls to you snicker and point and laugh because you didn;t fall? Why most your only form of happiness come from other people’s misery? Doesn;t that seem a bit wrong? You al lare supposed to be smart people. Didn;t your Moms raise you better than this? Tech’s got a fine football team, going i nthe right direction. You should spend some of this wasted energy on supporting them instead of on bashing another team.
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
1:21 pm
Ryan so you are saying the WHOLES are in MIAMI or would that be the HOLES?
Lunchtime links: An unjust system | SportsXXL
July 22nd, 2010
1:23 pm
[...] coach Mark Richt says, “We’ll see what they gather” in the NCAA [...]
SuperB
July 22nd, 2010
1:24 pm
If Green has “never” been to Miami, (and that is the apparent focus of this investigation,) isn’t the NCAA plain and simply, harassing Georgia?
Also, it’s time for the NCAA hammer to come down on the agents!
76-Dawg
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
If the NCAA does not find any wrong doings at UGA, I want to know from what source did the NCAA think they had such good reliable information that they felt they had to investigate UGA , FLA. ALA. SC. This sounds like a witch hunt and if there is no validity to any of this crap then the SEC needs to file a formal protest against the NCAA or at least the reliable sources that got all this mess started. If I was the SEC I would be filing law suits against someone or some institution . So NCAA I want to know your sources ?
KimZ'sPackage
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
mike Jay learn to read before you post. WTF? You are missing words and it is hard to understand what you are trying to say.
jerry
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
Mark Richt looks like Jim Belushi. Other than that, I don’t much care.
snapshot
July 22nd, 2010
1:27 pm
crap just keeps flowing out of the athens cesspool.