UPDATED: McGarity meets with Grantham, SEC reviews confrontation at Vanderbilt
Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham (R) confronts Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin after Franklin allegedly yelled at one of the Bulldogs' players at the end of Georgia's 33-28 win in Nashville on Saturday.
UPDATED WITH COMMENTS FROM VANDERBILT COACH JAMES FRANKLIN (1:33 P.M.) AND GREG McGARITY AT TOUCHDOWN CLUB OF ATLANTA MEETING (1:45 P.M) .
UPDATED WITH COMMENTS FROM TODD GRANTHAM (11:25 A.M.). . .
ATHENS — Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity has already met with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham regarding the postgame confrontation with Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin on Saturday and the Southeastern Conference is in the process of reviewing the incident.
McGarity, who was in Nashville on Saturday, said he discussed the situation with Georgia head coach Mark Richt by telephone on Sunday, then met with Grantham face-to-face at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall early Monday morning. Meanwhile, both Georgia and Vanderbilt have been asked by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive to submit written reports to the league office for review.
“I spoke with the Commissioner earlier today and they are in a sort of fact-finding process now,” McGarity said. “We’ll submit a report either verbal or in writing. I’m sure Vandy will do the same and then, basically, we’ll see what happens at that point in time.”
As for his meeting with Grantham, McGarity said, “I’d just say those discussions will remain private, but I’ve addressed it with both Coach Richt and Coach Grantham. There were lessons to be learned here. Obviously the conduct that was displayed was not representative of how we want to conduct ourselves after a hard-fought game.”
Grantham and Franklin were caught on video in a heated, finger-pointing exchange immediately after Georgia’s 33-28 win over Vanderbilt had concluded. Moments before that, Franklin is observed yelling at Georgia safety Shawn Williams.
The Bulldogs were flagged three times for personal fouls in the game and, in one instance, it appears Georgia noseguard Kwame Geathers tries to punch a Vanderbilt player. But McGarity said UGA’s reports to the SEC will not address anything that took place during the game.
“The conference does that anyway,” he said. “That’s part of their normal, standard operating procedures where they’ll go through it. Each team submits plays to review and they review things without either team submitting them. That’s just basic standard operating procedure there, things that happen during the game. I’m sure they’ll review the clips and I’m sure they’ll review the personal fouls. They do that all the time. That’s part of their weekly tasks.”
SEC Associate Commissioner Charles Bloom confirmed the postgame confrontation is being investigated.
“The conference office is gathering information from all parties about the incident,” Bloom said via email. “Too early to comment on it.”
Bloom indicated the SEC might have a response by Tuesday.
Grantham, in his second season as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator, was reprimanded by UGA last year after directing a choke signs toward Florida kicker Chas Henry before he tried a game-winning field attempt in overtime.
Grantham told the AJC Monday morning he regretted his actions after Saturday’s game.
“First of all, I love my players and appreciate their hard work and investment in our program,” Grantham said. “I feel a responsibility and loyalty to protect and stand up for them. However, I feel it’s important to educate them in all areas of life. While my intentions were genuine, I feel it was unfortunate that things escalated to a confrontation. However, I’ll use it as a learning experience for myself as well as my players so that we all become better men.”
Meanwhile, Franklin was asked at his weekly news conference on Monday if he had followed up on the incident. He said he Richt talked via telephone about the situation on Sunday and indicated there had been some correspondence with the SEC office.
“We have a very, very talented commissioner and they’ll do their job and do what they think is right and we’re going to move forward,” Franklin said as video of his 1 p.m. news conference was streamed live via the school’s website. “I have tremendous respect for the University of Georgia, their history, their program, their coach. We had a hard fought battle with a lot of passion, with a lot of emotion. . . . Some things got a little bit out of hand and I know myself and Coach Richt — I don’t want to speak for him — would have liked for the game to have ended a little differently and been able to just walk off the field.”
Asked specifically if he had any personal regrets with the way he behaved at the end of the game, Franklin said: “I’m not a guy who really has a whole lot of regrets. I’m pretty calculated and pretty well thought out for the most part with the things I do. I am an emotional guy, as you guys know.”
Speaking to the Touchdown Club of Atlanta today, Greg McGarity had more to say about the matter:
“I think the whole story will come out at some point in time. Right now both institutions are basically filing a report to the Southeastern Conference office on really what happened from Todd’s standpoint and, I’m sure, from Coach Franklin’s standpoint. That will go to the commissioner, and then we’ll see where things go after that. But I don’t think there’s any question that . . . at the end of the day that’s not the way you want to end athletics competition. It’s kind of like Mark said after the game: ‘At the end of the game, you want to go over there and shake the opponent’s hand and move on to the next game.’
“I won’t get into specifics, but I think if you ask Todd if he had to do it over again, I think he definitely would do some things differently. I think that’s not the way you want to represent your institution on either side. At the end of the day, I think you’ll see that. But I know Todd is in the process of making a statement. We want to get ahead of this and deal with it up front to where there’s nothing out there that we need to be worrying about the rest of the week.
“It was kind of like we saw at the end of the NFL [49ers-Lions game] yesterday –- I think we had a situation there with a couple of coaches. Things get heated. There probably are a lot of things people would like to take back, but at the end of the day that’s not what needs to happen in college athletics. We need to talk about the student-athletes and what they did that day — and not reduce it to where things off the field are the topic of discussion during that day. So it’s something we’re really not proud of, and we’ll deal with it and learn from it and also teach our student athletes on the positives and negatives of situations like that.”
AJC reporter Tim Tucker contributed to this report.
|– Chip Towers and Tim Tucker
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714 comments Add your comment
T.
October 17th, 2011
1:54 pm
he Duder……………….
Use this as the opportunity to fire Grantham and bring a real college defensive coordinator.
Use this as the opportunity to promote Grantham and make him head coach and return CMR to QB coach or head of the scout team.
TampaDawg
October 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
87DAWG — This should have been a Coach talking to Coach situation. That’s it. If I trust a coach to send my son to play for him and he let’s some other POS come up and start yelling at him like that and does nothing, I will support my son the first time he mentions transfer. Coach should talk to coach, if they see eye to eye on right versus wrong, then that players coach needs to deal with that player. Never should an opposing coach go after the kid. This is just basic leadership but too many of you who know NOTHING about leadership would have rather had the Vandy coach just say whatever he wants to Williams. Wrong answer, it will always be wrong, and idiots who side with Vandy coach will always be wrong. Have a nice day.
tide roll
October 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
Grantham needs to own up to the fact that his emotional outbursts are as a result of trying to coordinate an SEC defense while two CHILDREN are in charge of the offense. Bobo screws it up, and Richt just stands there! Who wouldn’t go nuts!
Joey
October 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
That’s okay GTJoe, at least our losses came to ranked teams.
Your loss came from . . . cough, cough . . . virginia.
(crickets)
Nashville Cat
October 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
Someone needs to smack his fat mouth with a helmet. Grantham is all mouth.
dawginGulfshores
October 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
Would everyone get over last year’s choke sign! It is done all the time in sports, stupid nuts, it is not like you are going to put your hands on a players throat and physically choke him dumb arses!! It is a sign meaning to “FREEZE” up and miss a play…not choke the life out of someone! Would all the non-sport, panty waisted wimps go read a book! this is tough, war, NFL training grounds and wimps should stay home! Hell we did the choke sign as kids to each other and it was funny!!! homers…
TampaDawg
October 17th, 2011
1:56 pm
Half Century Dawg Fan, Nick Saban on here is a tech fan in disguise.
McDawg
October 17th, 2011
1:56 pm
another BFD although i love how the players put their helments back on
Half Century Dawg Fan
October 17th, 2011
1:56 pm
Beast from the East
October 17th, 2011
1:38 pm
In my opinion what he did in last years Florida game was wrong.
DawginLex
October 17th, 2011
1:58 pm
Hey #1 Hawk dumba$$, master of the obvious.
Pat Dye graduated from the University of Georgia
It is well documented that Auburn and Georgia exchanged coaches. Your comment about dooley just shows how stupid you are
What should I expect from a toilet paper toting retard…..
ADMan
October 17th, 2011
1:58 pm
Hey tide roll…you and 01Hawk need to get together..you’re both made for each other..neither one of you knows sh-t about football and loves to hear himself talk….I’ll bet both of you are real ladies men…. both hung like a field mouse…..grow up!
dawginGulfshores
October 17th, 2011
1:58 pm
If you look at the film, Franklin was the one leaning in toward Grantham, Franklin lost his cool and Grantham didn’t back down…a head coach should be ashamed and embarrassed for acting the way he did…why is he calling Richt so much if he wasn’t out of line!! Franklin lost his cool, so man up and apologize…you are the face of Vandy…
McDawg
October 17th, 2011
1:59 pm
how come everytime i hear the pharse “tide roll” i think of toilet paper
TampaDawg
October 17th, 2011
1:59 pm
Gotta give GT Joe credit. He’s got guts. UGA loses to two ranked teams, GT loses to .. hmm hmm, VIRGINIA, and he still runs his trap about the BCS. So let’s see, when Clemson disposes of GT then quite possibly VTech, how’s the BCS look for the bugs then?
DawginLex
October 17th, 2011
2:00 pm
Bama mike
My apologies to you. One of my best friends went to Alabama and your school is capable of producing classy folks unlike tide roll and the hawk dude.
JAMES FRANKLIN
October 17th, 2011
2:01 pm
would have jacked Grantham into next week,NO doubt!!! The guy is in much better shape than Todd and his twinkie eatin’ self. Grantham is the type of guy that one day one of his own players will clock him OR someone will.UGA better watch this guy he seems kinda out of it.
Joey
October 17th, 2011
2:01 pm
Hey Nashville Cat, set your GPS for the Butts-Mahre building in Athens. Bet you can go to Grantham’s office without an appointment. Go in and “smack his fat mouth.”
Please take somebody with a recorder and put everything on Youtube.
Thanks.
J.T.Keene
October 17th, 2011
2:02 pm
Why is everyone so tight? We need to lighten up. Grantham loves his players, Richt loves Cro-wellll
and Cro- welll loves being the #1 tailback at Georgia. Had Cro -welll gone to Alabama he “might” have been the #4 tailback, certainly not 1, 2 or 3 as we can all see they are pretty good and don’t seem to mind playing a little hurt.
AltamahaDawg
October 17th, 2011
2:02 pm
I think there was less drama during the actual event as they has been in the fan discussion following.
NOBODY is ashamed or embarrased about it. But NOBODY wants our coaches to do that on TV.
Everybody understand why he did, likes it, but understand the reality of how representative have to act in public.
Folks need to stop trying to exagerating it one way or the other.
DawginLex
October 17th, 2011
2:02 pm
Joey
Yeah, just let him walk in and say “I’m here to defend James Franklin”
Would be a short meeting………
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
TampaDawg
Right on baby! Good response. All these people calling for
Grantham’s job are idiots.Franklin had NO BUSINESS yelling at one of our players. The jerk is another Lane Kiffin.
DawginLex
October 17th, 2011
2:04 pm
Who is the one lacking class?
Grantham says he defended his players and went a bit too far
Franklin says he regrets nothing even though he started the whole thing.
TampaDawg
October 17th, 2011
2:05 pm
By the way GT Joe, how did that 10 spot slide feel in the BCS? Obviously, they don’t love your jackets nearly as much as you do.
Joey
October 17th, 2011
2:05 pm
lawrenceville guy (Jeez what a post name), you’re late for your manicure . . .
boots
October 17th, 2011
2:05 pm
Vandy’s Franklin needs to shut up and act like a head coach. His team was chop blocking the entire game and he has the nerve to yell at our player? Whatever. Bring on the Gators!
Mr. Dawg
October 17th, 2011
2:06 pm
I think… at the end of the day, when you consider what was said, and how things were handled, that at the end of the day…this is a freaking joke and being blown out of proportion and we should just drop it and move on….at the end of the day.
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:06 pm
Had Cro -welll gone to Alabama he “might” have been the #4 tailback
Wonder why Alabama wanted him so bad back in Feb?
TampaDawg
October 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
T. “The jerk is another Lane Kiffin.” .. wow dude, that’s harsh. Accurate, but harsh.
Dawghater
October 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
Grantham and UGA deserve each other! He fits UGA program perfectly.
In jacksonville you will have two team playing for the right to get you behinds kicked by either Alabama or LSU!
mrfixit
October 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
@doodoobailey – I don’t think you will ever have to worry avbout Vandy writing a check they can’t cash. I think that’s more likely to be a Georgia problem.
AltamahaDawg
October 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
How do you think your team would fair in the SECCG game, dawghater?
Joey
October 17th, 2011
2:10 pm
AD, If a head coach is yelling at a UGA player, I WANT any UGA assistant to get in the coach’s face about it. TV or not.
I’m proud of Todd Grantham.
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:11 pm
JAMES FRANKLIN
would have jacked Grantham into next week,NO doubt!!!
Dream on Baby Grantham would have been on his a$$ like on ugly on an ape.
Live From New York
October 17th, 2011
2:14 pm
This whole episode could have been avoided if Coach Grantham had simply followed the Golden Rule. When he saw Coach Franklin’s behavior toward one of the Dawgs, Grantham could have marched over with a smile (whether genuine or forced) on his face, shaken hands with Franklin and whispered in Franklin’s ear, “Let’s discuss this matter privately. I don’t appreciate you taking out your frustrations on my players. We can invite Coach Richt and any other of our coaches you’d like to join us. But leave our players out of it. You and I are the adults on the field.”
That would be the mark of a gentleman. Instead, he acted as a hothead spewing profanities. He had the opportunity to defuse the situation, but caused problems for himself and embarrassment for the university he represents.
His apology today was halfhearted, at best: “First of all, I love my players and appreciate their hard work and investment in our program. I feel a responsibility and loyalty to protect and stand up for them. However, I feel it’s important to educate them in all areas of life. While my intentions were genuine, I feel it was unfortunate that things escalated to a confrontation. However, I’ll use it as a learning experience for myself as well as my players so that we all become better men.”
Yes, “things escalated to a confrontation” because Grantham let emotions get the better of him. He should have admitted that explicitly. It takes two to tango and two to engage in a confrontation.
(Of course, I realize that Grantham’s “apology” was actually written by UGA staff lawyers. But still.)
UGA 92
October 17th, 2011
2:15 pm
If Franklin is yelling at one of our players, then Grantham had every right to get in is face.
JB
October 17th, 2011
2:15 pm
How would you like to be a FSU fan about now? Wow, what a disappointment. Just thought I’d mix it up
FLA DAWG
October 17th, 2011
2:15 pm
I can’t belive I am defending a coach who let Vandy hang 28 on us but I will.
Grantham is a D Coordinator – Cry Havoc And Let Loose The Dawgs Of War – is the type of attitude a D Coordinator every college team needs.
I only wish Richt had half as much fire in the belly as Grantham.
JB
October 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
All this happened when Mark was trying to find coach Franklin to apologize for winning.
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
The jerk is another Lane Kiffin.”
Mr.Helicopter flying in to HS football games, got that
from Kiffin.What a jerk.
Terry
October 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
Dawghater, Any thing can happen in a game, Alabama loss to South Carolina, Auburn, and LSU last year, even thou they were suppose to win the NC last year. At least if UGA wins out in the SEC East and South Carolina loses, they will get a chance to play for the SEC Championship and anything can happen.
StuDawg
October 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
Go Grantham! GATA! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CABO
October 17th, 2011
2:17 pm
Todd Grantham is Chuck Norris Approved!
Shannon in Athens
October 17th, 2011
2:18 pm
I’m more mad at CMR for saying Sunday that he didn’t know whos story was the truth. Way to stick up for your players CMR.
gt4ever
October 17th, 2011
2:18 pm
What a complete joke some of these posts that validate TG as protecting his players… Give me a break, this is why the UGA football program is in the toilet! This joke of a coach should be FIRED, and probably would be at any other university… It’s NO wonder that this program is in shambles, and the laughing stock of all college football!
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:20 pm
Live From New York
So I guess your saying Franklin bears no responsiblity
in this matter.
GTPHISH
October 17th, 2011
2:20 pm
Grantham is the biggest hothead I have seen in quite some time; 2nd time in 2 seasons he has shown his *ss in public, and the way he emasculates his head coach, he ought to be embarrased.
CTG=Sgt. Hulka
the analyzer
October 17th, 2011
2:21 pm
Grantham reacts in anger because a team that can’t score put 4 td’s on the board – 2 on long drives late in the game. Dawgs never sustained a drive that resulted in a touchdown. I’d be upset after that, too.
SenoiaDawgs
October 17th, 2011
2:21 pm
So Franklin basically say’s nothing in his news conference which is the dodge the question because I F’D up and am an emotional guy.
CTG says I stood up for my player and it was clear from the moment it happened if you watched this is what he was doing.
HMMMMM… way to go CMR and McGarity for not publicly standing up for you own.
T.
October 17th, 2011
2:22 pm
Shannon in Athens
Amen,
Richt should have said,This is what Grantham told me,far as I’m concerned, it’s my story and I’M STICKING TO IT.
nolabigdawg
October 17th, 2011
2:22 pm
Aside from this unimportant sideshow, can anyone tell me how the defense actually played? I didn’t get to see the game. Is the team improving week-to-week? Please only serious replies.