UGA hit with Level I secondary violation for inadvertent text messages
The SEC has determined that the text messages Georgia coach Mark Richt inadvertently sent to the father of an elite in-state recruit in May constituted a Level I secondary violation of NCAA rules.
That’s the bad news. The good news is UGA was granted relief from the standard minimum penalty associated with Level I violations “based on the fact there was no content to the text messages,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive reported in a July 6 letter to the NCAA. The letter was obtained by the AJC through a Freedom of Information request.
Georgia has yet to hear back from the NCAA approving the SEC’s actions, but that is considered a formality.
“We have nothing to say on this subject,” Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity said.
In McGarity’s May 27 letter of explanation to Slive, he reports that Richt accidentally sent two text messages from his Blackberry to the father of Harris County defensive end Jordan Jenkins on May 26th. Jenkins is considered by many the top prospect in Georgia. Text messages to prospects or their family members are impermissible per NCAA rules until one day after a prospect has signed a national letter of intent with the school.
In the first instance, Richt received a text from Ron Jenkins asking for camp dates. Since Richt did not have the number programmed in his phone, the text was identified as “unknown.” Richt intended to forward the text to a recruiting assistant for identification but accidentally replied to Mr. Jenkins, which was a violation NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1.2.
Richt immediately reported the inadvertent violation to compliance director Eric Baumgartner, who subsequently asked Richt if Mr. Jenkins had replied. In an attempt to forward Mr. Jenkins’ response to Baumgartner, Richt accidentally replied to Mr. Jenkins again, hence he had to report another text violation.
Level I secondary violations are more serious than Level II violations. But this particular violation was considered Level I only because it involved inpermissible contact of a recruit.
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259 comments Add your comment
Hairy Dawg
July 31st, 2011
1:55 am
This not s story about some little dum NCAA rule that nobody reads no how. The NCAA is just looking to frame Dawgs cause we playing in the SEC. We just gots recruiting talent and cuts loose stinky players and tells NCAA to put in it’s place. Then Dawgs show running of dominants and not taking anything off NCAA.
Athens is Hell
July 31st, 2011
2:03 am
_——_
/ \
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/\/\ (o )o )
/ \__/ –.
( )
\_ _——-’
| / \
| | ‘\_______)
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D’OH !!!
GT is a 4th rate high school team
July 31st, 2011
2:30 am
GT fans or alums claim they are intelligent, but GT fans in this blog cannot still understand why their school was punished by NCAA.
Anagrams
July 31st, 2011
2:47 am
Evangelist ….. Evil’s Agent
Desperation ….. A Rope Ends It
UGA is a 5th rate pee wee league team
July 31st, 2011
2:50 am
Enter your comments here …
Captain sir
July 31st, 2011
7:22 am
“Nerds” and “where the chicks are”. Wow how original. Come up with something better “Rednecks”
Beast from the East
July 31st, 2011
7:22 am
Kudos, RED DOG 77!
Joey
July 31st, 2011
7:38 am
Techies are smart?
How about that dumbass “st simons”, who wrote this on every UGA blog, for exactly 12 months, never to heard from again?
45-45!!!!!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
NERD
July 31st, 2011
7:44 am
Idiots!!!! Cheaters!!!!
GR82BAG8R
July 31st, 2011
7:53 am
When Tech was told they should not tell their coach about the investigation they should have abided by that direction. Period.
If they wanted Johnson to know about it, they should have done what UGA did when they were told not to tell Green about the investigation – - hold a press conference and tell everyone. Tech is supposed to be smart, but UGA showed them how to get around NCAA directions and not be penalized. Perhaps that is what UGA does best….
Gordon
July 31st, 2011
8:14 am
UGA should have to vacate any championships they have won in the last 5 years for this…..never mind.
Loyal Dawg
July 31st, 2011
8:16 am
I am not one of the paronoid UGA fans that believes the AJC is out to get us. That being said, the headline of this story is a typical attempt to sensationalize the story in order to get more readers. The headline implies that the NCAA or someone else uncovered a violation and UGA was “hit with a violation”. A better headline would have been “UGA reports inadvertant violations” or “Ritch inadvertantly committs Level I violation”. I guess that would sound too boring.
GDBurdell
July 31st, 2011
8:33 am
Learn to cheat at ga tek, haha I can’t wait to see what other violations the ncaa uncovers at that dirty downtown ghetto technical college
Paddy
July 31st, 2011
8:56 am
Maybe the NCAA can start investigating what books the players and coaches check out of the library. That makes about as much sense as this last so-called infraction.
Rover
July 31st, 2011
9:08 am
CHEATERS!!!
» UK policy and Desmond Allison, plus more Sunday notes John Clay’s Sidelines
July 31st, 2011
9:17 am
[...] Georgia football was hit with a Level 1 secondary violation for impermissible text messages. No wonder Mike Slive wants that rule [...]
Homepage | MrSEC.com
July 31st, 2011
9:22 am
[...] Level 1 secondary violation for Georgia over an inadvertent text [...]
Hit A Single
July 31st, 2011
9:32 am
The NCAA let Pryor play in the Sugar Bowl just so they would get their money. Who does the NCAA have to answer to? Nobody as long as they get their money.
slydog
July 31st, 2011
9:56 am
After the trial Kemp spoke to The New York Times, saying, “All over the country, athletes are used to produce revenue. I’ve seen what happens when the lights dim and the crowd fades. They’re left with nothing. I want that stopped.”
No school or institution can escape those comments. Every school or institution has at least ONE professor, instructor, or administrator who was either fired or demoted and disgraced for exposing the truth. Am I to believe, in a school full of engineers, scientists, and future astronauts, that cheating for athletes isn’t going on? Stop it. Instead of arguing about what school has the most morons, realize that the vast majority of those MORONS are African American, who are attending the finest state institutions, and NO ONE THERE CARES TO PROPERLY EDUCATE THEM UNLESS THEY ARE MAKING SOMEONE MONEY. That’s why the NCAA only requires they pass 9 hrs a semester. The system is set up to create morons. Face it, college football is a meat market and an indirect form of modern slavery. If these young men can digest an entire playbook and the myriad of audibles, they all possess the intelligence to obtain a meaningful degree. Every institution should have no less than a 75% rate of successful completion for players who spent 4 years on campus. Anything less is shameful.
kevdawg
July 31st, 2011
9:59 am
FBFAN because even if the coach cannot contact the player, the antithesis is not true, the parents of the player can contact the coach.
slydog
July 31st, 2011
10:00 am
But peep game, if these young men become more educated, especially in business, then the NCAA, college football as a whole, and the NFL and their player agents will lose control of the GAME and the con has to stop. We arguing about these hypocritical and contradictory violations when the real contradiction is “Student-Athlete.”
roll tider
July 31st, 2011
10:10 am
Enter your comments here
indianman
July 31st, 2011
10:40 am
all you georgia tech people that keep talking about richt your are just so mad because your dont have him if your had him you would.nt be saying all this bad thang about him
Hit A Single
July 31st, 2011
10:53 am
College football is nothing more than minor league football for the NFL. The term student athlete is a joke when it comes to college football and college basketball.
Bogdan
July 31st, 2011
10:54 am
Just look at who some of the investors were in the Donovan-led Ponzi scheme: Donovan, Beamer, Gillespie, Switzer. Beamer said he got his money back while everybody else lost shirt off their back.
Both Donovan and Beamer are dirty all the
Way back to when they cohorted at VA-WVa border. You have to be dirty or at least greedy to participate in such a get-rich scheme.
Nomobama
July 31st, 2011
11:02 am
My grandmother knows how to reply to a text and forward one, so richt should not claim he doesnt know how to work his dang phone. He’s cheating!
Lisa
July 31st, 2011
11:15 am
Uh……St. Richt did come from FSU. You don’t think the man cheats? Give me a break. He is as dirty as the next guy.
Dostoyevskiy
July 31st, 2011
11:26 am
Beamer is real dirty and gets by with murder. Recruited both Vick bros to VaTech.
Heels Rock and Rule
July 31st, 2011
11:29 am
Beamer and Donnan both used job openings at UNC to swindle more money out of VaTech and UGa respectively.
" Hot " seat
July 31st, 2011
11:47 am
`
. . . gotta geat boise state in the GEORGIA dome . . .
*All-Involved
July 31st, 2011
11:49 am
Spike 80DF might have been talking about *AU, one of the most corrupt programs in college sports (Top Ten Most Corrupt College Programs – NCAA By Mike Vogt) and the “Dirtiest Program in College Football” according to 5th Quarter Sports and other publications, plus the NCAA itself.
Red Raider
July 31st, 2011
11:49 am
UNC shoud have hired Mike Leach, a damn good coach.
Dostoveyskiy
July 31st, 2011
12:16 pm
I think UNC hit a home run in naming Withers as interim coach. Did you see his presser. Gave deference and respect to Davis, then impressed everyone with his thoughtful presentation. He is really going to draw recruits. Who would not want to play for this man.
Loyal Dawg
July 31st, 2011
12:56 pm
Blackberry’s are the root of all evil.
ugafan
July 31st, 2011
1:16 pm
At least Georgia fired its AD who screwed up with the DUI. Tech can’t say the same for the screw up its AD made. If I am not mistaken this makes two times in 5 years Tech has been caught cheating or breaking rules which constituted about 6 years totql of NCAA probation. So Tech 6 Georgia 0.
Terry
July 31st, 2011
1:37 pm
slydog, Those people that were in Slavery didn’t have a choice, these young men you are talking about being in Modern Day Slavery get a Free College Education, its up to them to choose how they will use it. My dad only had an eighth grade education, his dad was a drunk, and would take his money, and drink it away leaving them to go hungry, at the age of six my dad picked up bottles, and scrap metals, where his mother could have some money for food to feed nine children, he picked cotton in the fields, worked in saw mills, and cotton mills, his last job was at a textile mill, were he retired, without an education he’s make a good living, owns his home, and has a good pension, he can live comfortable the rest of his days, those people you say are Slaves, have a better opportunity for an education than he did, its up to them as individual, what they want to do with their life. That is what is wrong with this generation now, they want to blame everyone else for their failures.
Rodney Dangerfield
July 31st, 2011
1:54 pm
CHEATERS and you still had a losing season. Learn to cheat from Auburn please!
GT 1
July 31st, 2011
1:55 pm
As bad as I dislike UGA, these NCAA violations are ridicoulous. Next, they’ll get Georgias Homecoming Quenn for grazing on Sanford Stadiums grass.
GT 1
July 31st, 2011
1:57 pm
Terry, you had a “real” man for a father, I salute him. My Dad was a real man also.
Flaubert
July 31st, 2011
2:12 pm
I love how haters like to label schools as “cheaters” when one of their athletes commits an NCAa violation. Those who do that are transparent with their agendas and I immediately dismiss their opinions. Rodney Dangerfield is one such hater. Do others share my opinion, or are you all haters and simple-minded flamers.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
July 31st, 2011
2:27 pm
sandyspringsjacket:
Richts 90% vs the jackets….Everybody has called someone with the phone in their pocket or sent a text….Call it pocket calling and pocket texting…just hit the resend button…Known ole Paul Johnson for a long time, and believe him before I would believe that NCAA crowd..Paul is one of the good guys who wouldn’t even let players borrow a blanket from the Holiday Inn they stayed at on the road..
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
July 31st, 2011
2:29 pm
GT 1:
Watch it when you start talking about women who inhabit the campuses…Don’t think I have ever seen a homecoming queen from UGA that could even remotely be called a grazer….Think you could be talking bout your own school here, GT…
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
July 31st, 2011
2:34 pm
Probably not a college playing football in the country that the NCAA couldn’t find something on…The NCAA stuff has gotten completely out of hand….Paul Johnson might not run the offense to woo recruits to Georgia Tech, but he is not a cheater…He is a heck of a coach, who, because of the offense he runs and how hard it is to recruit the key pieces to it, will now have a hard time at Tech…If anybody can win at Tech, it will be Paul…
Hit A Single
July 31st, 2011
3:00 pm
Slydog – All kids are not college material. That is why I really like a vocational school at the middle school level and high school level. These college coaches recruit these kids hoping they can do the work. But many are not interested in going to school and go just for football. And don’t even compare this to slavery. You know what if it is too much pressure for these kids to go to class, pass the class and play football maybe they need to go do something else.
John Galt
July 31st, 2011
3:15 pm
No one was speaking of Ohio State, really, they just misstakenly called GT’s obstruction “lying”. Wrong choice of word, but same message.
Geeks caught!
coachx
July 31st, 2011
3:18 pm
Those damn blackberries can be a pill with their little buttons when you have big fingers.
Otha
July 31st, 2011
4:25 pm
Shoulda just paid the family $200K and say the kid never knew about it. Win the title “on the field,” so to speak.
FBFan
July 31st, 2011
4:55 pm
CMR- “Mr. Jenkins I would like to give you my personal cell phone number. Now just remember it is against the rules for us to use it” Why give out your personal cell phone to a recruit’s dad if it is against the rules to use it? Something ain”t right!
college is forever
July 31st, 2011
5:13 pm
http://www.collegelunchboxes.com Gee, no texting in this day and age is like asking Obama to stop spending money we don’t have, ain’t gonna happen. Check out the UGA Classic Tin Lunchbox, very cool
Seriously
July 31st, 2011
5:52 pm
GT Fan,
I guess the guilty are the first to respond when someone is blaming without saying names and then you called him names. Just like a GT fan after all; arent you?