UGA lifts Ealey’s suspension (updated with comments from Richt)
(Updated 9 p.m. Saturday)
ATHENS — Washaun Ealey’s suspension lasted less than three weeks.
The Georgia tailback, suspended indefinitely from all team activities by coach Mark Richt on Feb. 8, has been “reinstated to full team standing,” UGA said Saturday.
That makes Ealey, Georgia’s leading rusher the past two seasons, eligible to participate in spring practice, which begins March 10.
“He’s done a very nice job of doing what I asked him to do,” Richt said Saturday night, “to take care of his business what I call the Georgia way, staying on top of things and being punctual and being prepared. . . . He’s done it with a very good attitude, and now I think he’s ready to integrate back in the rest of what’s going on at Georgia. I’m happy for him.”
Earlier Saturday, Richt said in a statement that Ealey will rejoin team activities Monday.
Ealey, a rising junior, was suspended after failing to report on time for an early-morning punishment run.
The incident was not Ealey’s first brush with trouble at Georgia. He was suspended from last season’s opening game because of an arrest for hit-and-run of a parked vehicle and driving with a suspended license.
“I didn’t think he was handling his responsibilities as well as he should,” Richt said Saturday night, referring to the Feb. 8 suspension. “When I felt like he was back on track, I was going to have him go back to doing what everybody else was doing.”
Ealey played in 12 games for Georgia last season, starting seven and rushing for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns. He rushed for 717 yards as a freshman in 2009, when he played in nine games.
His role could diminish with the arrival this summer of Carver-Columbus tailback Isaiah Crowell, a prized recruit who signed with Georgia this month. Richt said on signing day that he expects Crowell to play “heavily” as a freshman and possibly to get the first carry in the Sept. 3 opener against Boise State in the Georgia Dome.
– Staff writer Ken Sugiura contributed to this report.
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534 comments Add your comment
kral
February 26th, 2011
9:19 pm
another I am sure you are a run one and done..feel proud..look at your self in the mirror…what do you see…far more than you are worth
cantondawg
February 26th, 2011
9:20 pm
David,
you must be a dumbass. you state that since Murray only gained 5 pounds that he’s not working hard..Let me give you a clue since you’re an idiot. WE don’t want the quarterback to gain weight like a lineman. We want him lean and quick not big and bulky.
kral
February 26th, 2011
9:21 pm
kudoes CDawg
big bad john
February 26th, 2011
9:29 pm
hahaha, the “dawg Nation” always makes me laugh, you guys are a bunch of jock sniffing dorks!!
Oh, and also, UGAbugKiller, I know you, and I know for a fact you have never been laid, Ugay dork!!
harold
February 26th, 2011
9:41 pm
LET’S LOOK AT THE FACTS AND THE SPIN:
FACT: RICHT IS 13-12 LAST 2 SEASONS
SPIN: SINCE UGA CAN’T WIN IN THE SEC LET’S DREAM ABOUT IT! FEELS GOOD!
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology
February 26th, 2011
9:43 pm
@big bad john…Your sophomoric rhetoric is only outrivalled by your complete lack of compass of mind.
TampaDAWG
February 26th, 2011
9:43 pm
I love all these comments about AJ not gaining weight and Murray not gaining weight, yet we have a new strength and conditioning coach for the players he mentioned gaining weight! Awesome research. Also, I’d love to know where some of you are getting your information by stating without a doubt that Zach M was gonna transfer regardless and that Logan Gray was lied to repeatedly, anothre job of Awesome research. I want UGA to win as much as anyone else, but slamming CMR with lies is just a bit stupid. I’m sure if Crowell was a joke that he wouldn’t have been recruited so hard. Maybe there should be an IQ test before morons are aloud to blog!
kb
February 26th, 2011
9:47 pm
Cantondawg you give David way too much credit , he is beyond being a dumbass.
@harold Richt has won as many SEC tiltles as anyone except LSU since he been in Athens,
Why don’t you post the scores of Tech 15 wins since 1957? Follow your Kng fu Panda coach into oblivion.
AltamahaDawg
February 26th, 2011
9:57 pm
Good for him. The team needs him, but he needs this team worse. Good job coach, getting his attention.
AltamahaDawg
February 26th, 2011
10:02 pm
“Why has Richt never stated WHAT Ealey got a punishment run for? ”
Why would he? Is he supposed to?
Big Brother
February 26th, 2011
10:04 pm
Would all you GT Nerd Trolls please stop posting comments? Really, you have won 12 football games in the last 47 years. You are irrelevant in football and you are fast becoming irrelevant in basketball. You are an embarrassment to Georgia sports. That’s why you were kicked out of the SEC.
aarh
February 26th, 2011
10:06 pm
Tom- Richt may have let things get by in the past, but he did kick several guys off the team last yr., which is something he didn’t seem to do in yrs. I personally am glad that Ealey’s still on the team right now, bc he’s the leading returing rusher, & he has the msot experience. Hopefully Crowell will be great, but there’sno guarantee that he’ll come in right away & do so right off the bat.
UGAbugKiller
February 26th, 2011
10:12 pm
Ah, BigBadJohn “knows” me. I guess I have a stalker.
Some of you people are laughable in your delusions of self importance.
AltamahaDawg
February 26th, 2011
10:18 pm
What was widely known is that Mett was going to get charged with the sexual assault in the end. That was pretty much on the grapevine long before spring practice was in full swing. Richt did him a big favor letting him audition for his next school during the G-day game. By that point , his fate was already sealed here. BTW, he hardly “won” the job. He was not as consistent reading the defense in the coaches mind during the first 2 closed scrimmages. He did have a very decent controlled, scripted, G-day game.
greg david dawg fan
February 26th, 2011
10:29 pm
I am really a fan of uga’s football squad group and all those names that say similar stuff about favoritism and thugs and etc.. are not just me posting over and over because I’m a sad pathetic loser who has no life at all and can barely make it through each miserable day without sticking my head in an oven
it’s normal to cry several times a day for no reason right? right?
Florida Fred
February 26th, 2011
10:30 pm
Please keep Murray. He’s a great QB.
Georgia Ed
February 26th, 2011
10:33 pm
Florida Fred…..Please keep Brantley. He’s a great QB.
Florida Fred
February 26th, 2011
10:40 pm
Murray had a record setting season. Murray for Hesiman. Wow, what an amazing talent, SO wish he had come to Florida.
Colorado Carl
February 26th, 2011
10:41 pm
Yes, please keep Murray, an outstanding QB.
UCF FAN
February 26th, 2011
10:42 pm
Murray played us tough. Please keep him. Quite a talent.
South Carolina Rox
February 26th, 2011
10:44 pm
We hope Murray starts next year too!
Saban, Miles, Mullen, Fisher and Spurrier
February 26th, 2011
10:50 pm
Brantley was the best QB we faced all year. If Charlie is Wise, he’ll keep him as the top QB.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
February 26th, 2011
10:57 pm
Let us see what happens out of these. A lesson learned or just a persistent distraction.
The Bear
February 26th, 2011
11:00 pm
If the SEC expands, let’s invite GT to join the league. That way, we can kick them out again.
greg david dawg fan
February 26th, 2011
11:00 pm
Not that I would ever do it, but I see several people here seem to be posting comments using different names.
There is nothing wrong or pathetic at all about that. You/y’all are normal like me. We are cool and have kissed a girl before, lots of girls in fact.
We cry a lot because we are in touch with our sensitive side and not due to any crippling depression
I love you carl & fred & rox. Solidarity.
Eddie
February 26th, 2011
11:01 pm
Murray tired out in the 4th quarter in nearly every game. WAAAAAAYYYY out of shape.
Richt should have Murray doing STADIUM RUNS ALL DAY LOING until Murray starts adding some muscle like locker room leader Lemay.
You can’t have a QB Loafin in the weight room.
Joe T needs to crack down on EVERYBODY, even the QB.
Just look at Murray’s 4th quarter stats and you’ll see how out of shape he was.
Ealey? 3rd in the NCAA in 4th quarter touchdowns and averaged over 6 ypc in the 4th quarter.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
February 26th, 2011
11:03 pm
When all is said and done next season, you(above pretender- just one person identifying himself as multiple fan of different teams) will wish Murray would not have been back.
Eddie
February 26th, 2011
11:07 pm
Murray was ranked #59 in pass effic in the 4th quarter, and #119 in passing accuracy in the 4th quarter.
OUT OF SHAPE.
RUN STADIUM PUNISHMENT RUNS BOY!
Florida Fred
February 26th, 2011
11:08 pm
Murray is the greatest QB in history. Georgia should definately stay with him.
Eddie
February 26th, 2011
11:09 pm
Murray only threw 4 of his 24 td’s in the 4th quarter.
OUT OF SHAPE.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
February 26th, 2011
11:10 pm
Florida Fred you are the pretender.
Eddie
February 26th, 2011
11:11 pm
Murray ranked #46 in 4th quarter td’s and yards.
RUN SOME STADIUM RUNS MURRAY, GET IN GAME SHAPE THIS YEAR.
LEAD THE WAY LIKE LEMAY.
russ GATA
February 26th, 2011
11:13 pm
Those who suffer from Dawg Envy. It will only get worse. Gonna roll this year. Ealey will be part of it. Find something new to gripe about.
Dawg Whisperer
February 26th, 2011
11:19 pm
I think there is a consensus here… Murray will be starting next season. Can’t say the same about Brantley though.
Eddie
February 26th, 2011
11:21 pm
NFL gonna love Ealey’s 4th quarter conditioning:
Averaged 6.6 ypc in 4th quarter, Ingram got 3.5 ypc in 4th qrtr, richardson 4.3 ypc 4th qrtr
Ealey also 2nd in SEC in 4th quarter td’s.
ealey hardest worker in weight room on the team.
BG
February 26th, 2011
11:22 pm
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
seth
February 27th, 2011
12:17 am
David…4:53….LOL, my ribs hurt from laughing at your comments.
Mett and Gray made CMR pay? Really, Mett was arrested for sexual assault and kicked off the team, as he should be! Gray is a great punt returner, think the team will be fine w/o him. Good kid, way out of his league from Mizzo to SEC. Maybe you should coach, you sound brilliant:)
seth
February 27th, 2011
12:20 am
You morons hating on Murray about being out of shape, really? Ever think maybe it had to do with a freshman under pressure. Naaa, thats right b/c you are all brilliant coach’s. Laughable, glad all you do is blog and not make UGA football decisions. He is a kid, and now has a year (and some 4th qrts for you d-bags) under his belt.
didn't he . .
February 27th, 2011
1:40 am
spit in CMR’s face. . or was that just a rumor?
GTBob
February 27th, 2011
1:42 am
A 3 week suspension before spring practice even starts? That is a really harsh punishment. I’m sure he learned his lesson.
RED DOG 77
February 27th, 2011
1:46 am
@seth………Right-on brother!…….any fool that would criticize Murray’s freshman performance obviously knows very little to nothing about college football.
CaliDawg
February 27th, 2011
1:51 am
I was a little worried about UGA after a subpar season…but based on the recruits, the coaching changes, and the fact that about 1/2 of the blog is from our opponents still hatin’, that tells me we do still matter outside of our own “nation”. Thanks to all you haters for tuning in to the team that worries you most. I don’t care what you post…just keep posting! Georgia on your mind 24/7/365
RED DOG 77
February 27th, 2011
1:55 am
@GTBob……….Yup, looks like a three week suspension before Spring practice did the trick !……………Oh, golly gee Bob…….I mean really, Bob……..your insight is monumental…….now why don’t you just swish on back over to the bee blog, and Bob for buddies over there………Bob…………..Regards, RED
RED DOG 77
February 27th, 2011
2:05 am
@CaliDawg………nice post my friend ! and you are damn sure dead on the button ! All these “fans” can seem to do is focus on us………makes me feel pretty good about our current direction………by the way……….how are things out on the coast ? it’s been awhile since I’ve been out there………I plan to visit Nothern Cal in a couple weeks then on to Newport Oregon to visit friends. Regards to you CaliDawg, RED
Kris G
February 27th, 2011
3:15 am
Will someone tell Greg that Aaron Murray is a quarterback, not a running back? Because not everyone wants their QB to be jacked like Tebow.
Stinger2
February 27th, 2011
3:55 am
To “Big Brother” and ” The Bear” who posted comments that GT was kicked out of the SEC. You should not write something that is totally wrong. GT left the SEC voluntarily in the early 1970s.
Stinger2
February 27th, 2011
4:01 am
It is a good thing CMR has brought Ealey back. Last night at GT Crowell stated that he wants to be a freshman All-American and gain over 1000 yards. It was also reported by Tim Tucker that he was the star of the event which honored coaches for their accomplishments. Crowell will need the largest helment size available and some humble pie before the kickoff against Boise State.
Black Mountain Bulldog
February 27th, 2011
6:01 am
Ealey was punished for not showing up to do a run. He was already in trouble and decided not to show up and do the running.
Murray hurt his ankle playing in a pick up soccer game. Why should he be punished, for that?
RMikel58
February 27th, 2011
6:45 am
I suppose not everyone is treated the same way. Call it favortism or just being human, Richt has to come to grips that not treating everyone the same way creates animosity on the team. I for one am glad Ealey decided to man up and gtet back on the team.
Hopefully there will be alot of competition at RB during spring drills which is very healthy for all the athletes. Crowell i’ll say has the advantage coming in because he’s a blue chipper and has no demerits toward him as the others have. Kinda like a virgin if you will.
I dont know first hand what transpired between CMR and Crowell to get him here but im sure whatever he said is what the other coaches with other programs tells 5 star athletes. If you were not there i dont think its fair to accuse or assume that Richt did any wrong. In his tenure at Georgia there hasnt been any findings that Georgia Football has broken rules that resulted in scholarships. Give the guy a break because he’s trying and thats all we can ask for right now.
If Crowell starts then so be it, im sure if he had terrible practices CMR wouldnt start him nor would you and if he did it would be because he won the right to start. Im sure that CMR will play him and not redshirt him unless hes that bad or injured.
You know its no ones fault but Herschel Walker spoiled us and we all keep looking for RB’s to emerge as Herschel did but man he probably was one of the greatest RB’;s in college football history and we may never see a guy like that again.
Also CMR has a different mindset than Dooley did, 1 more of a passing game and the other loved to run the ball and control the clock. Myself i love the running game but if they play a more balanced game i’ll be happy. I never wanted to see CMR go somewhere else but i think Mike Bobo has really hurt Georgia’s Program.
Sorry CMR but that is the one area that will haunt Georgia until he’s fired or gone. We’ll win the majority of our games but will never make it to the Big Show and Bobo will be the reason. Call me anti this or that but im being logical. When you face great teams that have really good Defensive Coordinators then it pits your knowledge against his knowledge and usually it comes down to experience on what formations to call on certain downs. Its almost like Bobo has a check list and checks off plays as the game goes on and never looks at the actual game for the other teams weaknesses or mis matches.
Maybe this year our Defense can save our Offense and make it easier for them to have opportunities to score. As for me, i’ll still cheer for my Georgia team but in the back of my mind the biggest blunder was hiring Mike Bobo as OC and Dooley letting go of Erk Russell.
tim
February 27th, 2011
7:01 am
I wonder if someone can tell me where the article about Isaiah wanting 1000 yards is located. When I click on the link provided it goes to some stupid story about tech. Please AJC fix this!