UPDATED: Georgia NG Kwame Geathers, SS Shawn Williams, Vandy player get half-game suspensions
Geathers
As expected, Georgia’s Kwame Geathers and Shawn Williams were handed down half-game suspensions Wednesday for their actions during last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. Commodores center Logan Stewart was also levied a half-game suspension in the wake of the Bulldogs’ 33-28 win this past Saturday in Nashville.
The suspensions of the players were based on NCAA rules and handed down by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive in consultation with the respective schools.
Williams
“I did have the opportunity to speak to the Commissioner and discuss the incident,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It’s certainly not representative of the Georgia way. I have always trusted the Commissioner’s judgment and understand and accept the decision. We’ll learn as well as grow from this situation and now turn our attention to preparing for Florida.”
Following is the news release from the SEC, which explains its ruling in each instance:
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Upon review of game tapes of the football game between the University of Georgia and Vanderbilt University, played in Nashville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive has announced that Vanderbilt sophomore center Logan Stewart, Georgia sophomore defensive lineman Kwame Geathers and Georgia junior defensive back Shawn Williams have been suspended for the first half of their team’s next football games.
Vanderbilt hosts Army this Saturday while Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville on Oct. 29.
Geathers’ action was in violation of NCAA Football Rule 2-32-1-a for fighting. By NCAA Football Rule 9-5-1-b, the penalty for violation of the rule in the second half includes suspension for the first half of the team’s next scheduled game.
On the same play, Stewart’s suspension is the result of a flagrant personal foul which occurred at the 13:09 mark in the fourth quarter. The action is in violation of Rule 9-1 of the NCAA Football Rule Book, which states that a flagrant personal foul offender shall be disqualified.
Williams’ suspension is the result of a flagrant personal foul which occurred at the 2:08 mark in the third quarter. The action is in violation of Rule 9-1-4 of the NCAA Football Rule Book, which reads, “No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, elbow or shoulder.”
This action is taken in accordance with Southeastern Conference Constitution, Article 4.4.2 (d), which states that a student-athlete may be suspended if it is determined that the student-athlete has committed a flagrant or unsportsmanlike act.
Geathers, a redshirt sophomore from Georgetown, S.C., has started three games at noseguard for the Bulldogs and alternates regularly with junior John Jenkins. He has seven tackles, a pass break-up and a quarterback pressure.
Williams, a junior from Damascus, has started every game this season, including one at inside linebacker. He is the Bulldogs’ third-leading tackler with 34 and has two interceptions, including one against Vanderbilt this past weekend.
Saturday’s game, clinched by Georgia in the final seconds, was extremely emotional. The night ended with Franklin and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham a shouting match at midfield. The SEC asked for reports from both schools but about that incident but indicated Wednesday that the is being “handled internally between league office and schools,” spokesman Charles Bloom said.
Here’s video of the hit that resulted in Williams’ suspension:
MORE STORIES ON THIS SUBJECT:
- Geathers’ father upset over suspension, wants apology
- UGA, SEC reviewing coaches’ postgame confrontation
– Chip Towers
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530 comments Add your comment
gomdawg
October 19th, 2011
2:17 pm
AND AUBURN PLAYERS LAST YEAR GOT NOTHING UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
TrishaDishaWarEagle
October 19th, 2011
2:18 pm
These comments are as funny as last year when bama fans said the SEC office MADE saban throw the game in the second half so AU could get to the BCS championship game.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 19th, 2011
2:19 pm
Okay get it over with and play football. I’m taking bets that cheapshot artist #60 feigns illness come game time in Athens next year.
UGA Crybabies
October 19th, 2011
2:20 pm
@gomdawg
Nothing is two key players suspended for the first half of the Iron Bowl?
TrishaDishaWarEagle' brother
October 19th, 2011
2:21 pm
Me and sis are waiting on you, come back to bed and get off that silly ol typewriter thing
gdawginkalamazoo
October 19th, 2011
2:23 pm
Rules are rules break them and you pay the fine. I don’t like getting speeding tickets but I can’t argue that the other guy was going faster when I am the with the blue lights behind me.
Lucky that he is sitting out just half a game for the punch and not the rest of his career with a blown knee.
um....right
October 19th, 2011
2:23 pm
Still getting blocked?
UGA Poofer’s top
October 19th, 2011
2:23 pm
You better gather some of them tears up, I told you bout that back talk. Your gonna need em for lube
gomdawg
October 19th, 2011
2:23 pm
cRYBABIES what the hell is a iron bowl toilet or something
TOO TOUGH44
October 19th, 2011
2:24 pm
our Dawgsare the whipping boys for sec ..Dawgs are always made an example of unfairly I believe!
UPDATED: Kwame Geathers’ father upset over his son’s half-game suspension | UGA sports blog
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
[...] Both players were assessed half-game suspensions by the SEC on Wednesday afternoon. Georgia strong safety Shawn Williams was also levied a half-game suspension for an illegal hit he made in the game. [...]
NCDAWG
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Instead of wasting time on the ajc, I invite everyone to get on the SEC website and barrage them with well thought out comments on the disparity in punishment for flagrant fouls on these players as opposed to Nick Fairley and Brandon Spikes or any others with flagrant fouls who have not been punished by the SEC with suspensions. Write away guys!!
um....right
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Hey UGA bashers, is Vandy now a “t h u g” program? After all, “Stewart’s suspension is the result of a flagrant personal foul which occurred at the 13:09 mark in the fourth quarter.”
ozzfest
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
GEORGIA JUST GOT ONE UP THE BACK SIDE.
…at least if the Dogs don’t make it to the championship game…I will make $800 off of the SEC for the 2 tickets they are mailing out next week.
fayncdawg
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Let’s play the race card! The SEC definitely payed the race card by suspending the two black Georgia players and not suspending the white Vandy player for that blantant clip!
Half Time Show
October 19th, 2011
2:26 pm
Enter your comments here
Swarles Barkley
October 19th, 2011
2:27 pm
I saw nothing flagrant in the personal fouls from Williams. It looked like a legit, late hit. There was no helmet to helmet or excessive force. He just hit the guy late. I’ve never heard of a half game suspension for a regular 15 yard personal foul. If it was a different play than the one I’m remembering, please feel free to enlighten me, but I have no recollection of a flagrant foul on the part of Williams.
G-Dawg
October 19th, 2011
2:27 pm
Wonder how much Slive was charged for his services by Trooper??
Slive Sucks!
October 19th, 2011
2:27 pm
This is BS! Slive sucks!! I hope Williams comes in at the half and lays someone out! UGA is still going to beat Floriduh’s sorry a$$ this year! HAHAHAHA!
Tallahasseedawg
October 19th, 2011
2:28 pm
This is what happens when one man (Slive) has to much power.What a idiot,i am so disturbed about this one, it doesn’t add up.CMR needs to step up for his players(publicly),but he want.
BS SEC RULES
October 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
Bostic of Florida takes a swing at Alabama player, no suspension. Upshaw of Alabama kicks a Vanderbilt player and is not suspended.
Slive is a tool.
um.....right
October 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
fayncdawg
October 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Good point. I wonder if Bryant Gumbel thinks the SEC “is a ‘plantation overseer’”?
gomdawg
October 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
fayncdawg don’t go there that is un called for
TrishaDishaWarEagle
October 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
Slive is a retired Federal(re: lifetime apointee) judge..I am pretty sure the SEC is a stepdown in power
Summary
October 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
Logan Stewart: prick center who will have his career ended in Athens 2012(sweet thumbs up to the sideline asshat)
Franklin: Whiny Bitch, w no cajones who will be out of a job in -4yrs
Richt, McGarity, Adams: Pussies and Pushovers
Grantham: Man amongst the pussies
Geathers: shouldve beat the living hell out of the kid if he was gonna be suspended
Williams: dumba$$
UGA: 5-2
AJC sports writers: just plain awful at everyting they do(reprise)
Carvell: blows
AltamahaDawg
October 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
The problem is that while Geather’s action probably would not have got him suspended after the fact on it’s own, it was tied to the “incident”. Compoinded by the coaches deal, which brought all the scrutiny .They HAD to suspend the Vandy kid for that, so there really wasn’t anything the SEC office could do but suspend Geathers too. Not sure what Williams did, but I’d bet it would not have drawn a suspension without the rest of this stuff.
G-Dawg
October 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
Slice and Beebe….the two worst crooks in college football!!
MY 2 cents
October 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
Mark Richt needs to walk up to slimmy slive and slap him like a be-atch!
7576DAWG
October 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
From what I have read the coaches face no action from the SEC . Their fate will be handled internally at their schools.
TrishaDishaWarEagle' brother and sister
October 19th, 2011
2:31 pm
Would you please get off that do hicky and get back in bed.
King Gator
October 19th, 2011
2:31 pm
If your fan base is this whinny about a couple of half game suspensions I’d hate to be your boss.. wait I am your boss, get back to work you cuberats! Go Gators!
AltamahaDawg
October 19th, 2011
2:32 pm
surprised we dont have the 13:09 video up yet.
King Gator
October 19th, 2011
2:33 pm
CMR will be punished by Georgia, he will be forced to remain as head coach of the Dawgs..sorry no time served. Bonus, trip back to the Liberty Bowl to lose to UCF! Go Gators!
george
October 19th, 2011
2:36 pm
ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!!!! After 3 fights/skirmishes in 8 games including 32 players storming the field to fight and ZERO consequences this is a long time coming. Hopefully grantham is next. Could the Uga program be any more of a joke?????
Summary
October 19th, 2011
2:39 pm
King Gator can you explain why your team remains the most penailized team in the SEC (not including Bostics punch during UA game) o how about this one
The Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday that true freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson was arrested and charged with underage alcohol possession Sept. 14, the week of the Gators’ game against Tennessee. Roberson was the second Floriday player arrested by the University Police Department that week, following now former Gator linebacker Dee Finley’s misdemeanor arrest two days earlier.
Roberson was arrested outside a campus residence hall after police officers reportedly spotted him with a can of Four Loko. He is being represented by Gainesville attorney Huntley Johnson, who (per the Sentinel, in a bit of an understatement) “frequently represents UF athletes.” Underage alcohol possession is a misdemeanor charge.
Roberson is the seventh Gator arrested this calendar year and the second to be cited for underage alcohol possession.
Chip Towers
October 19th, 2011
2:39 pm
AltamahaDawg: 13:09 video is linked at end of this article. Can’t find the 2:08 3rd hit. Please point me to it if anyone runs across it.
coach C
October 19th, 2011
2:39 pm
Beat Florida and Auburn and roll on —-this is just a bump in the road=========get mad and HIT somebody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
King Gator
October 19th, 2011
2:39 pm
^pipe down and look at our BCS rings! Go Gators
Buck Blew
October 19th, 2011
2:40 pm
suspend a player for a whole game for clipping? this is football, not gymnastics. geathers is the one who should be suspended for throwing the punch.
Bama in Atlanta
October 19th, 2011
2:42 pm
To quote Russell Zisky from “Stripes”:
“I’ve always been a pacifist. My father once told me to never, ever hit anyone out of anger unless you’re absolutely sure…..you can get away with it.”
UGA Crybabies
October 19th, 2011
2:43 pm
This is the sort of crap that makes Georgia the laughingstock of the SEC. When you’re whining that the SEC office is propping up Vandy over you, you need to reconsider your outlook.
7576DAWG
October 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
I’m not going to say that we didn’t deserve suspensions because if you apply the rule to what our players did we certainly broke them. But, I sure wish that McGarity would make a statement that there are a lot of inconsistencies as far as the SEC applying the rules. That we aren’t whining about getting punished but are complaining about some teams ,especially from the state of Alabama NOT getting punished. Maybe it’s time that the SEC headquarters moved out of Birmingham.
Ginger
October 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
Just did not like Vandy player going for Kwame knee…Kwame just react and defended himself…If Kwame did not punch him—he might have tried again…Kwame had to show that he was not going to take it.
The Vandy player should get a full game suspension…if Kwame gets 1/2 game.
JDawg1785
October 19th, 2011
2:45 pm
Not crazy about the suspensions, but it is what it is. Keep your heads up, guys, and dominate in that second half in JAX!
King Gator
October 19th, 2011
2:47 pm
I’d settle for a 1/2 sandwich or a full one, your choice. Go Gators!
RamboDog
October 19th, 2011
2:48 pm
King Gator…enjoy the 2 rings that Florida won…looks like they will be your last. UF headed back to being UGA’s Beaaach like they were for Many , many, many years. By the way, you didn’t get a ring but I see you have one around your lips. Looks like milk or “something”. Get back on that pipe…!
JRW7
October 19th, 2011
2:49 pm
MIKE SLIVE, you are a joke to the SEC!!!
jj
October 19th, 2011
2:49 pm
How long was Nick Fairley’s suspension after his multiple flagrant penalties vs UGA last year?
DAWGtired
October 19th, 2011
2:49 pm
This is a crock. Geathers and Stewart-totally acceptable. The fact that they searched additional gametape to get williams for a non-mandatory suspension is clearly bias. Do they review every game and hand out arbitrary suspensions league-wide for personal fouls of the same ilk? Absolutely not, otherwise Fairley would have been suspended half the season last year. Jenkins, Ahmad Black, and Major Wright were NOTORIOUS for those exact kind of plays…as were Greg Blue, Boss Bailey and Sean Jones. This is one of the worst micromanagement decisions that I have ever seen. The SEC just gave itself a major black-eye in lieu of enabling the decisions to be handled by the Coaching Staff and Athletic Directors, which is what they should have done. Pure garbage.
Summary
October 19th, 2011
2:49 pm
and yet Grantham remains a target while Muschump huffs and puffs his way up and down the sideline with clear audio of him cursing up a storm? Guess he just needs to fingerpoint more and defend his player against a joke of a coach to be thrust into spotlight(or have the AJC writers in Gainesville)
PS, i believe your former guy Jenoris “Just 1 mo Puff” Jenkins got booted out of his North Alabama game for fighting the other day