Green receives four-game ban; UGA plans appeal
(Updated 8:40 p.m.)
ATHENS – The NCAA came down hard Wednesday on A.J. Green, ordering Georgia’s star wide receiver to sit out four games as punishment for selling a game jersey to a sports agent.
Green sold the jersey he wore in last season’s Independence Bowl for $1,000, according to the facts of the case stipulated by Georgia.
The school plans to appeal the NCAA ruling in hopes of having the length of the suspension reduced. The appeal could be heard next week, coach Mark Richt said.
Green was held out of last week’s season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, pending the results of the NCAA investigation, which began in July. He must sit out the Bulldogs’ next three games -– Saturday at South Carolina, Sept. 18 at home vs. Arkansas and Sept. 25 at Mississippi State –- unless the appeal is successful. He will be eligible to return for the Oct. 2 game at Colorado.
“Certainly I’m disappointed with the outcome,” Richt said. “However, we have games to play, and that’s where our focus needs to be in the coming days and weeks. Other players will have to step forward, and I’m confident they will do that.”
Richt informed his players of the NCAA ruling shortly before Wednesday’s practice.
“He assured us we have the talent on this team to play with or without [Green],” tight end Aron White said. “We’re still Georgia. One player doesn’t make Georgia. That’s something [Richt] made very clear to us, that he still has complete confidence in us.”
The NCAA did not name the individual who bought the jersey from Green but said the person meets the organization’s definition of an agent -– “any individual who markets or promotes a student-athlete.” That put Green in violation of the NCAA rule against receiving benefits from agents.
Selling a jersey to a non-agent also would violate NCAA rules, which prohibit student-athletes from receiving money for memorabilia.
Green has donated $1,000, the amount he received for the jersey, to charity, the NCAA said.
The four-game ban is at the top end of the range the NCAA typically imposes for this type of violation.
The NCAA said it reviews each case “on its own merits based on the specific facts. Staff decisions are made based on a number of factors including . . . the student-athlete’s responsibility for the violation, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university.”
In another recent case, the NCAA last week suspended Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus for two games for accepting almost $1,800 in benefits from an agent. In that case, the NCAA said Dareus received a two-game ban, rather than four games, “based on mitigating circumstances.”
Green will be allowed to practice with the Georgia team during his banishment from games and, in fact, did so Wednesday.
”I want to apologize to my coaches, teammates and the Georgia fans for the mistake in judgment,” Green said in a statement. “I very much regret all that has taken place and the distraction that’s been caused. I’ve learned a valuable lesson and hope others can learn from my mistake. I can only focus my attention now on practicing and looking ahead to getting back with my teammates as quickly as possible.”
Green did not meet with reporters. Richt summed up Green’s reaction: “He’s hurt. He’s sad. He’s sorry for what happened.”
Wide receiver Tavarres King said the Green news was “pretty shocking” to him and vowed to help pick up the slack in the star player’s absence.
“I got to step up and make plays to fill the void for A.J.” King said. “Big shoes to fill. Huge shoes to fill.”
Green, a junior from Summerville, S.C., was named to preseason All-SEC and some preseason All-America teams. He is projected as a high first-round pick if he enters next year’s NFL draft, as most observers expect him to do.
Green caught 53 passes for 808 yards and six touchdowns last season, when he missed three-plus games with injuries. He caught 56 passes for 963 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2008.
Georgia’s appeal will be heard by the NCAA Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, which is comprised of representatives from NCAA member schools. Green cannot play in games during the appeal process.
As is standard procedural form in such cases, Georgia declared Green ineligible and the NCAA set his penalty and the terms of his reinstatement.
The NCAA informed Georgia on July 21 of the Green investigation — one in a series of probes at a number of schools into dealings between athletes and agents. Green said on July 22 that he was asked by Georgia officials if he attended an agent-hosted party in Miami that triggered investigations at several schools. He said he did not.
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1,225 comments Add your comment
Ginger
September 9th, 2010
1:26 am
If this doesn’t beat all…..Green has let his fellow players, coaches, UGA, and the fans down. He broke the rules…plain and simple….So many of these players are doing things that they know better not to do….very, very disappointed in Green.
SoWeGaDawg
September 9th, 2010
1:27 am
As far as I’m concerned, A. J. Greene should leave or be removed from UGA football. Taking $1000 for a jersey from the independence bowl is stupid. If a snot nosed kid from Podunk can’t keep his grimy, greedy hands in his pockets in view of obtaining a degree or moving on to a professional level then let him suffer the consequences. Moreover, I don’t believe A J has contributed anywhere near the press rating and blog stories. I am unconvinced his professional career is a given and I damned well do not see a major contribution to offense at UGA. Move him on.
Chuck UGA
September 9th, 2010
1:46 am
With this stupid event, how do you not hold Mark Richt accountable? Has his staff not educated the players about the rules? No excuses this time. This is at his feet. If Green was informed and STILL sold the jersey, he should have to sit out.
Now Richt better hope Ealey plays and runs wild. A loss to South Carolina will pretty much end Georgia’s chance of winning the SEC East in my opinion, because it is almost a certainty that there will be at least one, maybe two more SEC losses. McGarity has made it clear he expects improvement. The athletic board and boosters are becoming impatient (not the fans who post on blogs, the REAL donors). Don’t kid yourself…Saturday is a crucial game for this staff.
COURTNEY FUHRMANN
September 9th, 2010
1:53 am
A J IS GONNA PLAY ON SATURDAY YA’LL. HE HAS THAT POWER…
Pitbull
September 9th, 2010
4:28 am
HEY, WHERE IS EVERYBODY??????????
Better Way To Do It
September 9th, 2010
5:48 am
If they were smart, players would “give” the item to a family member who can put it on ebay. No way to trace the relative giving anyone cash at that point.
HE MY BABY DADDY
September 9th, 2010
5:51 am
WHEN THE “REAL STORY IS TOLD” YOU’LL FEEL LUCKY THAT ONLY 4 GAMES IS ALL AJ GOT!! THE TRUTH IS…… THE WAS A STORY TO HIDE THE TRUTH OF MONIES BEING FUNNELED TO AJ!!!
benny
September 9th, 2010
5:59 am
HAVE WE, AS A SOCIETY, MISSED THE POINT? He gets in trouble for selling something that is not his and people complain? I just read an idiot writer for SI (Andy Staples) who was whining about how UGA makes money selling jerseys so why shouldn’t Green get in a little action. Well, here is the same situation in a different perspective. I work at a store. I get a little amount of money compared to what the store makes. My department is making them big bucks due to my efforts. Based on this SO writer’s argument I should be able to sell anything I want out of my department (even tho it is not mine) and keep the money. That is what Green did and it is a crime. Now, UGA wants to enable this behavior of breaking the law and have the NCAA forget the whole thing happened. In my job at the store I would get fired and probably arrested and never get my job back nor welcomed back to the store. This might explain why UGA has so many arrests and issues. THIS WAS BREAKING THE LAW AND NOW UGA WANTS TO TEACH HIM A LIFE LESSON. HOW PATHETIC. This is the same type of stuff that put this country in the outhouse. People illegally and morally stole from others and Oblahblahblah bank roles them out with billions of dollars. Does anybody think this is wrong? Does anyone understand that there are thousands of teens and preteens that use him as a role model and have now learned that it is OK to steal and because he is so valuable he is welcomed back with open arms. So many hypocrites that complain about crime and education problems in Georgia and think Green is getting the shaft.
It’s not easy being Green: three thoughts. « Get The Picture
September 9th, 2010
6:46 am
[...] but someone “who meets the NCAA definition of an agent”. About that, Tim Tucker writes, The NCAA did not name the individual who bought the jersey from Green but said the person [...]
Conscience
September 9th, 2010
6:58 am
Ole Miss and Bama must have more juice than UGA: Ole Miss player denied eligibility;appealed to NCAA;decision reversed in 2-3 days; Bama player suspended 2 games for accepting more money than Green;UGA might appeal next week? Poor game plan by UGA and poorer justice by NCAA
sammiamm
September 9th, 2010
7:05 am
ENOUGH ALREADY!
RULES ARE RULES–SENSIBLE OR OTHERWISE. 99% OF PLAYERS ABIDE BY THEM–AND AJ DIDN’T BY HIS OWN CHOICE. HE LET HIS TEAM DOWN.
NOW, THAT TEAM HAS 5 OTHER RECEIVERS (AND A COUPLE OF AWESOME TIGHT ENDS) WHO ARE GOING TO PULL TOGETHER LIKE GOOD TEAMMATES DO TO GET THE JOB DONE–AND KICK SOME CHICKEN A** AND SOME HOG BUTT.
Pete
September 9th, 2010
7:09 am
Already heard it will be reduced to two games-just have to get by SC.
Dogssmell
September 9th, 2010
7:14 am
I hate this for Georgia because it only gives them 1 more excuse for losing. Dont let another team say they had to pay without a key player but for Georgia all excuses are available.
2001dawg
September 9th, 2010
7:16 am
Complete BS. The SEC should leave the NCAA. There is no playof system that they govern so what do we need them for. Seriously all they do is make decesions that directly impact the outcome of games.
CTNB&M
September 9th, 2010
7:19 am
It’s not about the jersey you idiots, The money was an investment for future business.
Where did AJ get the $1,000.00 to give to charity. Please do not tell me he saved the jersey payment.
These kids are not getting the message being taught.
Big Al
September 9th, 2010
7:21 am
Love Ga. fans see no wrong with what the players do and everything is rigged—give me a break. If he was truthful he would not be in the situation he knows the rules as do other players so get over it.
how2fish
September 9th, 2010
7:28 am
Well the 4 games is steep and it has to be because either AJ wasn’t completely upfront with the NCAA or the NCAA is putting the whoop down on AJ for competing with the NCAA’s and UGA’s marketing dept’s and they are sending a message to the players . I mean the thought of a college athlete making a profit off of his/her blood,sweat and tears..what was AJ thinking. And folks stay off the Bama players back he did the right thing straight up..2 games is very steep considering the way he handled the issue..anyone thinking the NCAA gave Bama a break is a little nuts.
Kemosabi
September 9th, 2010
7:30 am
It’s amazing how many idiots our coaches have been able to assemble on this team. The kids have the “world by the tail” and don’t understand what a privilege it is to play for a major university. You would think that they could keep their noses clean, go to class and play ball. The majority of the students at Georgia are able to do that some how. Athletes at a minimum should be able to do so as well. They need to establish a “zero tolerance” rule at Georgia, one and gone.
BigDawg
September 9th, 2010
7:41 am
Hate to say this folks but the suspension is deserved. Imagine if this type of selling was allowed…the top recruits would get bundles of cash from school fans in the hopes of swaying (buying) that kid to come to a specific school. NCAA is supposed to be about amateur athletics if you want to make money on signatures and jerseys he simply should have turned pro last year. If he was informed this was wrong (which he better have been or Richt is not doing his job) then he should be suspended by UGA simply because he ignored the coach!
Bill
September 9th, 2010
7:42 am
Tim,
You’ve got to be the biggest homer writer I’ve ever read. Marcel did not take $1800 in benefits from an agent. That is totally 100% false and you should retract. Marcel took a trip from a friend and once he learned about the agent involvment he left. Now I do not know the circusmstances of AJ’s deal but I can tell you Alabama has never been given the benefit of the doubt with the NCAA. If you want to compare the cases fine but do not lie.
Bill
hahaha!!!
September 9th, 2010
7:49 am
“anyone that markets or promotes an athlete” is considered an agent? So…..basically that’s anybody that simply wears anything that resembles a player’s jersey number or picture? LOL!!!! The NCAA was desperate.
how2fish
September 9th, 2010
7:51 am
Kemosabi I think it is scary that you can have all these “runners’ for agents running around trying to give kids with modest means boatloads of cash anyway they can..and the NCAA only goes after the kids…WTF…that like saying the cops can only go after the buyers in a drug deal and not the dealer.
weird
September 9th, 2010
7:52 am
So Tech gets to play an FBI busted drug Lord (who was arrested just last year for assaulting a woman in Marietta with a gun) and they currently have a rapist on their defense, yet Green can’t sell his own jersey for his family since his dad lost his job? Wow……
Jingle Dingle
September 9th, 2010
7:52 am
I guess it’s good that he didn’t have an SEC Championship ring to go with it. Cause if he’ll sell a jersey for a $1000, then by God he’ll sell a ring for 10,000.
Bammer
September 9th, 2010
7:55 am
4 games, with one already served? That’s nothing. I mean no team wants their best player to miss any time, especially when that player is one of the best in the country, but 3 more games before the real meat of their schedule even begins is nothing. I think UGA dodged a huge bullet.
Buzz Sawya
September 9th, 2010
8:01 am
How much more crap will your precious CMR allow to go on? 1 game suspensions against 1-AA opponents will not solve the problems. I can assure you there will be 1-2 more incidents involving your UGA mutt football players. “Drunkville,Ga.!”
how2fish
September 9th, 2010
8:04 am
Buzz Sawya tell you what sell out a game or at least get on TV then come back and rant..till then STFU. ACC Champs and have yet to do either this year..
I'm with Stupid
September 9th, 2010
8:07 am
Hey Tech Nerds… 30-24
Niles
September 9th, 2010
8:10 am
The Yech reaction says all you need to know about the state of their decaying program. A UGA player gets a slap on the wrist and they treat it as a victory for their own joke of a team. Hilarious!!
james
September 9th, 2010
8:12 am
Nerd fans crying about Richt is the same as idiotic liberal commentators lecturing Republicans on what they should really be doing. You can’t write this type of comedy!!
Buzz Sawya
September 9th, 2010
8:13 am
How2Fish,” tell you what!”, we will be on television this saturday you trailer trash,backwoods no teeth drunk ,” now you STFU!’, we’ll see what you have to say after Carolina whip yall’s smelly a#*+.
Bill King
September 9th, 2010
8:14 am
That Shreveport Bowl just won’t go away will it? Even a signed jersey from that game comes back to haunt you. Hahaha.
Let’s see who all hates the dog nation now?
1. NCAA Infraction Committee
2. Outback Bowl Selection Committee
3. Clarke County Trash Collectors
4. Clarke County Police
5. BCS Ranking Committee
6. ESPN Game Day Crew
7. Georgia Tech Fans
8. University of Florida Fans
9. Auburn University Fans
10. University of Tennessee Fans
11. South Carolina Fans
12. Clemson Fans
13. ALL Non SEC and most SEC Referees
14. All announcers not named Harry Munston
15. Kirby Smart’s Family
16. That agent that signed Hershal Walker to that USFL deal
17. Mainstream Media
18. Manager of Motel Six in Shreveport
19. Manager of Captain D’s in Shreveport
20. Yellow Fuzz
fankle
September 9th, 2010
8:16 am
Hey “Bill King.” The fact you even waste the time to type out all that idiotic nonsense shows us just how envious and jealous you are of the Dawgs. I would be too if I were a tool fan, so I really can’t blame you.
Zeke
September 9th, 2010
8:19 am
Scooter Libby all over again
I'm with Stupid
September 9th, 2010
8:20 am
30-24
dawgmeister
September 9th, 2010
8:23 am
I can see maybe 1 or 2 games but 4 is over the top. The Bama player only got 2 games for almost double the amount of money involved. Once again the NCAA takes a 20 pound sledgehammer to a anthill.
Gamec0ck Pete
September 9th, 2010
8:26 am
Bwaaaaaaaahhhhhh UGA fans cryin because their players never do wrong. They will be cryin Saturday afternoon when the mighty gamec0cks walks the dawgs in the Sandstorm !!!!!!! The Luck for the mutts have finally come to an end. Oh yeah cant wait to walk the dawgs in basketball and baseball too !
how2fish
September 9th, 2010
8:30 am
Buzz but you will never get back the fact that the year you were ACC Champs you couldn’t drum up enough support for you blighted program to fill that cracker jack box of a stadium or even get a cable company to televise you pathetic game…that will NEVER go away.
Reuben Houston
September 9th, 2010
8:31 am
Shoot. Dat fool need mah lawya. He gotz me outta truble and back on ya fieldz. Wut wrong wit dis boy? Shoot……
Bling and blang
September 9th, 2010
8:33 am
Ah… So thats where AJ got his ear bling. Will he have to give those to charity?
Marko
September 9th, 2010
8:33 am
I’ve found it strange that Tech fans are so upset over AJ then it occurred to me why. They can’t give away home tickets, even with the attraction of free cokes, hot dogs and Playboys. Let alone sell anything remotely close to resembling a Tech jersey. Yet here is one UGA player that is able to make a grand off just one of his. A grand would purchase 1,000 Tech tickets. Now I get it.
Taylor Wooten
September 9th, 2010
8:34 am
How screwed up is college football, the NCAA, the BCS?
Its almost laughable.
Vinnie Do Lee
September 9th, 2010
8:37 am
Like I said dawg fans this season is OVA !
Just wondering
September 9th, 2010
8:41 am
A UGA grad coworker tells me that the rule he violated in doing this was put in place a few years ago as a result of all of the UGA players selling their rings online. Any truth to this?
Tired of the talking, let's get to walking!
September 9th, 2010
8:41 am
This is absurd! Dareus gets two games for attending an AGENT PARTY in Miami and straight out taking almost $2,000 in free cash and only gets two games. AJ Green sells a jersey that he owns to a guy the NCAA at best can describe as “qualifying as an agent”, and gets four freakin games???????????????????!!!! And this is fair how? Screw it! We are talented enough to win without him, but there will be NO MERCY on opposing defenses when he gets back. For those of you who thinks he is our only playmaker, just sit back and watch these next three games. This team is deep, and has enough talent to get through this. Go DAWGS! BEAT uSC!!!
crossdawg
September 9th, 2010
8:48 am
Another dumb thug. So what if he can catch a pass. He can’t catch em frme the stands.
Will Dawg
September 9th, 2010
8:54 am
If you want to dismiss AJ dismiss yourself from Dawg nation. All you perfect people who have never made a mistake are so quick to dump a kid. You are why John Kincade is still on the radio. Sanctimonious Jerks!!
crossdawg
September 9th, 2010
8:57 am
Will…It’s 1 thing to make a mistake. It’s another to do stupid sheet.
how2fish
September 9th, 2010
8:58 am
Just wondering sadly that is correct at the time it was not against the rules..so the NCAA made the rule up.
tim
September 9th, 2010
8:58 am
He would have only gotten 2 game suspension, but he lied to the NCAA investigator who interviewed him, and he changed his story and “couldn’t remember” the person he sold the jersey to. He was STUPID, and that’s what got him 4