ATHENS — Not quite two weeks after spraining his right ankle in a pickup soccer game on campus, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is off crutches, out of the walking boot, starting to do a little running and looking forward to the start of spring football practice.
“No more soccer,” Murray said Thursday. “No basketball, soccer, baseball, softball — none of that stuff. Just football from here on out.”
He said the ankle injury occurred “just going up for a header. Just came down wrong on it. Just rolled it a little bit.” The scariest part, he said, was the thought of telling coaches Mark Richt and Mike Bobo.
On the ground immediately after the injury, “I was, like, ‘Oh man, I don’t want to tell Coach Bobo,’” Murray said. “I was, like, ‘This is not going to be good.’”
But he said the ankle “didn’t hurt too bad, just swelled up a little bit, so I [thought] it was probably just a little sprain.” X-rays and an MRI confirmed that diagnosis.
Murray was amazed by the interest in the minor injury, which briefly sparked false rumors of a broken leg or ankle.
“I got out of the MRI and had about 50 text messages,” he said. “People from everywhere were texting me. . . . It got a little out of control with rumors.’”
Murray expects to be a full participant in spring practice, which starts next Thursday.
The injury did curtail his off-season throwing for a while. While in the walking boot, which he shed this week, Murray said he threw passes “on my knees or standing still — not really dropping back and throwing routes, just making sure my arm is in shape [and] ready to go.” But on Thursday evening, he was throwing conventionally to his receivers. He reported via Twitter: “To UGA defense … I’m backkkk! Time to throw some TDs in skelly tonight.”
Murray’s disavowal of soccer is his own choice, apparently. Richt said he has never had a rule against playing other sports or participating in various activities because “I want these guys to live their lives and enjoy it. It seems like no matter what you do, somebody can still stumble down the stairs and get hurt.”
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83 comments Add your comment
dawgfacedboy
March 4th, 2011
11:13 am
A kid got hurt while playing a sport. Yawn.
CMRalterEGO
March 4th, 2011
11:18 am
Life happens! We can’t put them in a bubble as they are college kids! Are we supposed to tell them to not drive anywhere? I get it where they shouldn’t be sky diving or racing motorcycles but COME ON! My higher power decides what is going to happen and we can’t try to control these kids or they would burn out in a year! As long as the AJC doesn’t report “CROWELL ARRESTED” or Drew sought in child Porn case and they all stay out of jail I AM A HAPPY CAMPER
MaconBulldog.
March 4th, 2011
11:35 am
Yes please lets go with a whole summer with no jail time for the dawgs
Alabama | MrSEC.com
March 4th, 2011
11:51 am
[...] award with his stats, but he might with his versatility and overall value to UF’s team.3. “No more soccer” or any other non-football sports for Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. (Murray says he’ll be ready for spring practice [...]
Delta Flight Attendent
March 4th, 2011
12:14 pm
Why would Murray be scared to tell coach? Kids get arrested all the time and Richt does next to nothing to them.
Ryan
March 4th, 2011
12:21 pm
1st
Bucket
March 4th, 2011
12:23 pm
@ Delta – you might want to ask Mettenberg, Dowtin, and Baker about that “next to nothing” comment. There have been others also. (Really good player @ NC State last year – Lemon?) Richt doesn’t cut kids for traffic violations, playing with fireworks, and not having or knowing their middle names. No doubt they need to tighten the discipline up a little, but don’t let the facts get in the way of your blind hatred for all things UGA.
Georgia QB says soccer is too dangerous and quits playing forever
March 4th, 2011
12:24 pm
[...] Lick Here for the full article. Cancel reply [...]
Spike
March 4th, 2011
12:25 pm
Good. I always thought soccer was an Eastern European commie sport anyway.
Mike Jay
March 4th, 2011
12:31 pm
They need to rebuild the UGA campusout of nothing but Nerf. No more riding in cars from Murray: he will be shipped in a giant cardboard coffin wrapped in 3 feet of bubble wrap. He will only eat egg whites, baked chicken and raw vegtables. Lights out will no be at 8pm right after he has his nightly medical examination and blood work done.
GTBob
March 4th, 2011
12:52 pm
Do people really expect college kids to quit doing fun athletic and normally safe things just because they are on the football team? CMR’s quote above is right. You can’t stop these kids from living normal lives.
Too Easy
March 4th, 2011
2:05 pm
Delta: Learn how to spell “attendant”. Zero cred.
Howard Cosell
March 4th, 2011
3:21 pm
Down goes Murray!!! Down goes Murray!!!
Delta Flight Attendent
March 4th, 2011
4:04 pm
too Easy What is cred? can’t you spell the word? Most people use some odd spelling in posting names. This might make you happy.
Delta Flight Stew
CharlestonDAWG
March 4th, 2011
4:05 pm
Hey Guys!!!
I never comment on here. Im a season ticket holder and love gamedays on Saturday. Im not an overly fanactic fan, but who doesnt like seeing their team win. I will be at every home game screaming my head off. Its WAY more fun that way. I played a sport in college (soccer). Yes, the sissy sport. Its ok. I still play. I love it. It paid my way through school and helped me to a career as a Physical Therapist. That being said, We, at a small NAIA school in GA, were NOT allowed to participate in intramurals so long as we were on scholarship as an intercolliagte athlete. Coaches allowed walk-ons to play recreational sports but if a scholarship player was found playing intramurals the entire team paid. We ran until someone puked. Sat for a game or two. And believe me the wrath of the teammates having to run hills for a mistake like that was much worse than what the coach had us do. Aaron, FOCUS on FOOTBALL. Leave soccer to us sissies!!!
steeldogs125
March 4th, 2011
8:04 pm
Please visit my sports blog trinitysports1313.blogpost.com, I am 13 and decided to use my great insight. I write about NFL, NBA, NCAA, Golf and Tennis.
poohla
March 4th, 2011
11:24 pm
I don’t know if Georgia fans know it but Jay Rome has more ofhis dad in him them than they know I think that he could play with the basketball team now he can play with anybody check his history and he is still playing!! that is good check Tony Gonzalez and that Peppers guy!!
Jim
March 4th, 2011
11:43 pm
Hopefully this little scare will pit some sense in Richt’s and Bobo’s heads that the time to have a QB ready to step in is not after you don’t have your starter anymore.
mark bradley go join tennessee and hate on UGA
March 5th, 2011
3:10 am
WE DONT LIKE YOU…WE DONT CARE FOR YOUR ARTICLES AT ALL…YOU ARE A HATER… A JEALIOUS HATER….EVERY TEAM IN THE NATION WILL HAVE BAD SEASONS….MARK BRADLEY YOU ARE AN IDIOT AND THATS WHY YOU WRITE IN THE NEWPAPER INSTEAD OF COACH A TEAM…HAHAHAHAHA…WRITE ABOUT THAT
woebegong
March 5th, 2011
8:19 am
Like the coach said, let the kids be kids. At least he was not out getting into trouble. He appears to me to be a fine young man with a lot of potential as an athelete. I would take one Murray over ten Cam Newtons any day. I don’t care what the records are. The kid has his head on right.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Georgia football? LOL
March 5th, 2011
8:24 am
Most collegiate soccer teams could beat Georgia’s football team.
Buckeye
March 5th, 2011
8:27 am
SE GA “dawg” Fan,
You are no crtitical reader. The critical reader noted that they only studied teams in the SI pre-season top 25. Uga, surpise surprise, was not in the SI pre-season top 25. (Matter of fact, didn’t make to post season top 25 either).
The critical reader would also note the study/reserach did not look at convictions, only those charged.
Must admit, with some level of shame, the Big 10 did not look too good given that list.
No worries, had uga been a part of the study, you would have “represented”.
Buckeye
March 5th, 2011
8:28 am
Woe,
How ’bout a “woof woof woof” with your signature??
woebegong
March 5th, 2011
8:46 am
Buckeye,
Too early for the woof woof, I leave that to my basset hound. She thinks she is a bulldog though.
About that SI article. It was the pre-season 2010 top 25 this article was referring to. UGA was listed at 22 in the pre-season top 25 last year. Then reality hit.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSS
and a WOOF WOOF to keep Buckeye happy on this Saturday.
AltamahaDawg
March 5th, 2011
8:46 am
Because attendEnt is such a clever play on words?
woebegong
March 5th, 2011
9:00 am
Inquiring minds want to know. Is attendent a male or female? Only thing I am pretty sure of, is that he/she is a tech. fan.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
AltamahaDawg
March 5th, 2011
9:34 am
Indistinguishable line so far.
fonzie
March 5th, 2011
9:42 am
Same ankle he broke senior year in high school. For a smart kid, he sure did a dumb thing.
aprilglaspie
March 5th, 2011
10:56 am
“I bet you 100% no QB of Nick Saban is playing soccer! Geez.”
Because Richt is a normal human being. Saban is not.
g8rh8n Dawg
March 6th, 2011
1:12 am
Glad he’s back. I hope there is some good competition in the coming weeks.
Delta Flight Attendent, you’re commenting on a football article. Shouldn’t you be more interested in the gymnastics program?
Gator Gus
March 6th, 2011
8:49 am
Please start Murray this year, he had an amazing year. Murray is incredible.
CW
March 6th, 2011
8:55 am
If Richt has no porblem with Murray playing other sports for fun and risking injury, Murray shiould do more of it. murray should take up MotoCross.
King Gator
March 6th, 2011
10:34 am
Soccer? Really….? If I were a fan of the Dawgs, I’d be less embarrassed if he hurt playing drunken kickball at a frat party or even doing one of those “foot videos” with Rex Ryan.. but soccer? Way to keep the offseason interesting Dawgs. It is better than having your AD arrested for DUI w/a woman’s thong in his lap that is not his wife I guess and on par with the “blackout” v Bama a few years ago. Go Gators!!