Mark Richt to Macon Bulldog Club: ‘I know what the hell I’m doing, OK?’
I was in Augusta Wednesday night for the Georgia Bulldog Club tour stop there and found coach Mark Richt to be calm and typically laid back. Other than his pointed comments on Washaun Ealey, the meeting was generally warm and fuzzy and it came and went without much controversy.
That wasn’t the case in Macon last night. According to my old friend Michael Lough, who covered the meeting for the Macon Telegraph, Richt got a little feisty with one particularly whiny fan. In the question-and-answer session, one man apparently droned on and on about Georgia’s poor running game last season and his apparent dissatisfaction with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
That apparently lit a fire under Richt.
“I see your frustration, I understand your frustration,” Lough quoted Richt as saying.“I wasn’t born yesterday, I’ve coached football for 25 years, so I know what the hell I’m doing, OK? . . . I appreciate your passion, I appreciate your support for this football team. Everybody can just calm down and know that we’re in good hands. . . . And Bryan McClendon is a hell of a coach, he’s a hell of a recruiter. And I’m glad we got Bryan McClendon.”
Richt’s remarks, Lough reported, elicited a strong ovation from the crowd gathered at the Walnut Creek Shooting Preserve.
Not surprisingly, the normally-chaste Richt apologized a short time later for using the word “hell.” But he also reiterated his disappointment in the tailback situation and the fact that none of the lettermen have stepped up and seized the position in anticipation of Isaiah Crowell’s arrival later this summer.
So what do you think? Glad to hear such passion come out Georgia’s sometimes staid head coach? Disappointed with his word choice?
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595 comments Add your comment
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:06 pm
Exactly, Old Timer.
If Richt wants to save face, he needs to go and personally apologize.
There is no excuse for that kind of behavior, least of all towards a fan (and paying customer).
Contractor
April 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
FINALLY a little fire from a Georgia coach. This is what everyone has wanted to see. Thank you coach for showing us you are a human and well driven to find an answer. I say you bench Ealy and King and never let them see the field. Put little Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcolm back there until Crowell can come in and show off his talents. I am frustrated at these punk ass kids getting fourth and fifth opportunities to produce and doing nothing but wasting time and others player’s efforts. They weren’t brought to Georgia for their intelligence, or to cure cancer, but to play football and get an education. From the outlook and reports, it seems as if King and Ealy aren’t doing either, so I say you bench them. We made it through last year with two quarterbacks, so we can dang sure make it through with three running backs.
AceDawg
April 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
To me, it’s always been more about what someone means than what they say. Calling someone a jerk just because you don’t choose to call them an AHole doesn’t mean you’re not still thinking the latter. Like government spending, I say increased transparency is better.
Saban
April 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
Will Crowell be able to play if his on work release from Clarke Countyr Correctional?
Doyle Rainey lives
April 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
I just hope he cusses and gets on the players, coaches, and refs this season like he did this poor fan. Much easier to take your anger out on some guy at a TD club. but for now I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume a fire has FINALLY been lit under his a** Let’s hope.
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
Shut your mouth, “Altamaha.”
How would you like it if you paid your hard-earned money to support your favorite program, brought up genuine concerns, and the coach used the opportunity to puff himself up and try to humiliate you in front of a large crowd?
This is not about liking or disliking Richt…this is about treating people right, and you can’t stand beside this action of Richt. He needs to apologize.
sherry
April 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
It about time Mark, get mad and rise a little hell at your players. They need to know who the boss is.
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:10 pm
Again, if it were a reporter, I wouldn’t mind this one bit. I would even be encouraged by it.
But this was a paying fan.
Put yourself in this guy’s shoes. Then tell me you support Richt’s actions.
red&silver
April 29th, 2011
1:14 pm
Either you like the program or you don’t. Deal with what we have or move on. Fair weather fans make me sick!
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 29th, 2011
1:15 pm
dawgfan…the Hitler/Germany analogy might be overstating your point.
Hats off to Timbo for breaking out sychophant…$10 says Vols Rulz had to look it up.
Good to see Richt fired up about something–anything really!
I think Richt is a shrewd operator–much moreso than he gets credit for anyway. He knows how information travels and has kept everything internal for 10 years. You think he tells the AJC UGA beat writer on record that Washaun has a ways to go without knowing what will happen? Same thing here. Richt has probably been thinking this for the last 5 years and never said anything publicly.
Hell–I hope this is a sign that Chuck Dowdle’s Bulldog show will be worth watching for a change!
Hell Dude
April 29th, 2011
1:15 pm
“hell”…”lit a fire”…”hell of a coach”. Excellent, now no one at Tech can say anything since they claim to be a “hell of an engineer”.
AltamahaDawg
April 29th, 2011
1:16 pm
Oh MY! shut up? Well I never…
Well first of all, I wouldn’t be so stupid as to stand up , bore the hell out of everybody else, and whine in Lieu of actually putting my money where my mouth is, or addressing my concern in an actual do something manner.
As far as civility, forgive me if I don’t take you seriously.
I can almost assure you, that you do not know the entire story as to how that all went down either.
Runnin With The Dawgs
April 29th, 2011
1:18 pm
Red & Silver — Thank You! It couldn’t have been said any better.
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:18 pm
Katie honey,
I appreciate a girl who loves the Dawgs.
Reality is you don’t fire a coach now short of some major issue like cheating,recruiting violations etc. You would make us the laughingstock of the NCAA
If richt doesn’t win this year, all of you will get your wish
GIVE ME A BREAK
April 29th, 2011
1:20 pm
The person that asked the question was Richt’s former sunday school teacher. Ouch!
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:21 pm
No, I don’t know the “entire story.” I do know what has been printed.
If there is more to the story, it hasn’t been printed. I would hope that Richt (or his PR Dept.) would want for the details to be printed if he did apologize to the man.
It needs to be public.
I can understand if Richt lost his patience. I am not perfect, either, obviously. But he really needs to PUBLICLY apologize. Like YESTERDAY.
This is a BIG deal…how does it look to recruits and fans if it is reported that Richt is berating concerned fans?
I do hope there is more to the story…if there is, PRINT IT!!!
cALEB THE kING
April 29th, 2011
1:21 pm
Glad to see some emotion from CMR. I love the word “hell.” LOL
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
timbo,
I have a friend in Macon who always goes to Walnut for the event. The guy asked the questions in a low mumbly tone and complained about every facet of the program and then bashed a coach. He deserved what he got.
I know Richt regrets cursing but he did it because this guy was a douche and Richt responded in kind.
He doesn’t owe the douche an apology.
chbeyer
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
Totally agree with CMR. He has made some coaching mistakes in recent years but is still a top tier coach and a class act. I think that barring a major injury (Aaron Murray) or multiple key player injuries that UGA will be a real factor in the SEC this fall and I fully expect them to kick Boise State back to reality.
Dr. Phil
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
Mark, perhaps you should shut your mouth and get back to your football studies. You are definitely not “state of the art” yet.
red&silver
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
Runnin With The Dawgs
April 29th, 2011
1:18 pm
Red & Silver — Thank You! It couldn’t have been said any better.
Thanks!
Patrick
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
Well for a $2.5 million salary per year UGA fans deserve better than a lousy team. Ala and AU hired a new coach and within 2 years won the national championship. Unfortunately UGA fans have settled for mediocrty for years.
cALEB THE kING
April 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
BTW That “whiny” fan was right. Where has the running game been?
From Where I Sit
April 29th, 2011
1:23 pm
LMAO!!!!!! Right? SO how many SEC and NC have you WON?
Give me a break as FL still owns the East!
Enough Said!
Rooster
April 29th, 2011
1:23 pm
Richt will be gone after the South Carolina game . Mark it down. Crowell will be a big bust.
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:25 pm
dawgdmd
April 29th, 2011
1:10 pm
I was there sitting right behind the person with the question. It was tense but in a humorous way. After Coach was done, he and the questioner embraced and chatted for a while all smiles. Coach reminded us that Knowshon was “pretty good right” and repeatedly expressed his frustration with the running game. One person asked him what he thought the position of most concern is and after thinking, Coach responded tailback.
How bout them dawgs
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Russ the spotted bulldog
April 29th, 2011
1:25 pm
Mark has been drinking orange cool aid with Roger McDowell.
Saban
April 29th, 2011
1:26 pm
So Rooster what are they busting Crowell on? Imagine a multitude of possiblities.
Watch out Richt throws a mean purse.
Gator Gus
April 29th, 2011
1:27 pm
Hey there Coach Richt,
Please don’t change anything you’ve done for the last 25 years.
We love it.
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 29th, 2011
1:29 pm
methinks Timbo and the rest of the offended people need to Harden the **** up, if you are a Ronnie Johns fan…or just plain toughen up if you aren’t.
All this sensitivity training has made you people soft.
Paying customer or not, if you make faces at the monkeys at the zoo long enough, eventually one is going to throw $hit at you. If you don’t like it, stand further back or go see the giraffes!
Ginger
April 29th, 2011
1:29 pm
I glad he took up for himself !!!..Good words
Savannah Jacket
April 29th, 2011
1:29 pm
He should have punch him in the face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pat
April 29th, 2011
1:29 pm
GREAT TO SEE! TELL IT HOW IT IS COACH!
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
DawginLex,
In that case, I can definitely understand. But I still think the right thing to do, from a PR standpoint, is to publicly apologize.
Be the bigger man. Don’t let some idiot bring you down to his level.
The thing is, no one cares who that guy was. No one will know exactly what it is he said, no matter how inflammatory.
But everyone knows who Richt is and everyone knows what he said.
If the guy was that bad, then maybe Richt shouldn’t go back and apologize in person; but he could at least issue an apology.
I’m telling you, this looks bad to recruits and fans.
Thank you for sharing the facts though. I will take your word for it. Like I said yesterday, I do think Richt is a good guy and I am genuinely glad to know he was not at fault here.
But I still do think he needs to go out of his way to clean up his image here. Sometimes you need to do the right thing even when everyone else is wrong.
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
look at little saban still crying because Crowell told you to go shove it
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:31 pm
timbo,
It appears richt and the guy “kissed and made up” after the speech
WTF
April 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
I am gald he stood up to the lunatics finally. There is a reason you morons arent coaches. How would you like it if CMR came to your job and pointed out how you could do a better job. I would dare say there is plenty of room for improvement for you because all youcritical dont know sh*! so called fans do is sit in front of a computer whining and complaining. The fact is all you “insiders” dont have a clue what goes on behind closed doors. There are reasons things have unfolde the way they have the last couple of years that we may never know because we are not in the know. this man did not suddenly forget how to coach.
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
“Clean up his image!?!?”
Wow. Just Wow.
DAVE
April 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
Both the supporter and Richt are fully justified in their specific frustrations and may feel free to cuss a little if they so choose, I probably would use worse language.
As far as correct conclusions though, only time will tell !
In the meantime, I prefer Coach Richt, the proven quality football coach and quality person as well to any current, cutting edge “hot” football guru ( if ,indeed ,such a person exists).
dawgman
April 29th, 2011
1:34 pm
CMR just needs to punch someone in the face! GATA
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:34 pm
DawginLex,
If so, why is this not being reported? Not controversial enough?
Jimmie
April 29th, 2011
1:35 pm
I don’t have a jobs, so Richt can’t tell me hows to do mines any better, but I sure can tells him how to does his better.
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:35 pm
Probably
schmeckdawg
April 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
For all of us who like the word hell, we need to feel bad for AJ as he just went to football HELL!!!!!!!!!
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
I would expect Tim and/or Bill to be better than that and report the WHOLE story, DawginLex.
But I guess that is expecting too much…
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:37 pm
amen schmeckdawg. I was chapped when I saw the Bungles were too incompetent to work a deal for MULTIPLE DRAFT PICKS LIKE THE BROWNS DID SO AJ COULD PLAY IN ATL!!!!!!!!
Timbodog
April 29th, 2011
1:37 pm
Yeah, too bad for AJ. His “bust factor” was just multiplied by 20.
McDonough Dawg
April 29th, 2011
1:37 pm
Nope not disappointed at all, there maybe some fans with some little baby ears that don’t enjoy hearing that word used in a sentence, but for the love of Georgia football, he is a football coach. Let me put this in perspective, do you think that Woody Hayes or Bear Bryant would have been as calm and collective handling that fan? No, Woody would have punched him in the face and Bear would have done something unspeakable that would land any one of us in prison. Let the man do his job this season and if things don’t work out, he will be let go. He knows this, believe it or not, without some know-it-all trying to tell him at a Bulldawg Club meeting. Put yourselves in his shoes and ask yourself this, ” can I handle the stress of this job, gigantic paycheck or not?”
Auburn fans are horrible...
April 29th, 2011
1:37 pm
Timbo…it is because the McGarrity wants the fans to know that Richt IS passionate. This was a PR move only. I wouldn’t be suprised if the guy that was “cursed out” was a plant in the first place!
DawginLex
April 29th, 2011
1:39 pm
You know timbo, there are always at least 2 sides to every story. i can’t confirm what dawgmd saw because my buddy didn’t see it or hear it. My buddy didn’t speak about anything except the exchange between Richt and the fan. After that, it was 250+ guys eating food.
I would like to believe Richt sought the guy out and the positive exchange actually happened. We may never know.