Georgia coach Mark Richt sidesteps questions on player suspensions
ATHENS — Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t shed much light on the Bulldogs’ suspension situation when he addressed an unusually large media contingent at the end of Thursday’s practice. In fact, he didn’t as much as flick on a flashlight.
Richt would not even confirm that there are new suspensions despite numerous report Thursday that at least two of Georgia’s defensive stars have run afoul of the athletic association’s drug policy.
“I can’t confirm anything,” Richt told more than a dozen reporters and two Atlanta television news crews. “I’m just going to be waiting for us to go through our process. When there’s something to report, I’ll report it to everybody.”
Earlier Thursday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to confirm that All-America safety Bacarri Rambo is facing a four-game suspension for failing a UGA-administered drug test this week. Rambo’s high school coach, Alan Ingram of Seminole County, said it was Rambo’s second violation of Georgia’s drug policy regarding marijuana, which according to the student-athlete handbook calls for a 30 percent suspension from the total number of competition dates. Rambo plans to appeal the suspension through UGA’s appeals process.
Ingram said he understands from his conversations with Rambo that junior linebacker Alec Ogletree also failed a similar drug test and is facing a similar length of suspension. In fact, Ingram said he believes as many as five UGA players failed drug screenings that were administered shortly after spring break.
But Richt refused to confirm or deny any of it. Before he entered the interview room on the second floor of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, UGA sports communication personnel passed out a brief written statement from him.
It read: “There is a process we follow regarding team guidelines and policies. I cannot make many comment until that process has run its course.”
Afterward, when Richt was asked questions regarding suspensions or player behavior in general, he referred to the statement.
“Don’t know if you’ve seen our handout but you might want to read it because you’ll hear it repeated again,” he said, smiling.
Asked exactly what process to which he was referring, Richt said: “Just, we’ve got our guidelines, we’ve got our policies. There are certain things we’ve got to do when we’re taking care of business and that’s what we’re talking about.”
Asked how he felt about handling player behavior issues, he said, “I don’t like distractions, that’s for sure.”
More details to come. . . .
Chip Towers, The UGA Blog
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417 comments Add your comment
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:17 pm
No.
They don’t care.
What’s worse is the coaches don’t care, crying about all the losses to top teams and all the arrests suspensions and players kicked-off the team, all the way to the bank with their 3 million dollars.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
March 30th, 2012
12:18 pm
@ PMC:
Damn Good Post @ 12:14 pm!!!!!!!!!!!
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:20 pm
“Anyone who knows CMR knows he is NOT going to fudge an any requirement, rule or law.”
___________________________________________
Is that why he did not call the police when 3 players stole over $ 500 cash and other valuables from their teammate, a felony ?
BigTimeTechFan
March 30th, 2012
12:20 pm
No big deal, Rambo and Ogletree are not that good anyway, UGA has plenty of players that can step in and play.
I hate the 1,2,3 chance rule. I wish Tech would just say you fail a Dope Test and your off the team.
Agree with those that say make the whole team pay, the players would hold others accountable it they knew it would impact them.
Also NCAA need to bring back the Athletic dorms, where teams can put coaches / reps in dorms to watch player behavior. They put these players in general population and can’t watch them, yet they hold them to higher standards.
UGASlobberknocker
March 30th, 2012
12:21 pm
That darn chocolate will get you every time
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:21 pm
“Anyone who knows CMR knows he is NOT going to fudge an any requirement, rule or law.”
___________________________________________
Is that why he wouldn’t discuss anything to do with any of all these arrests, suspensions and players kicked-out of the program – all 28 of them ?
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:23 pm
“Anyone who knows CMR knows he is NOT going to fudge an any requirement, rule or law.”
___________________________________________
Is that why he’s lost 9 games in a row to teams who made top 25?
Is that why he’s lost 7 games in a row to teams who made top 10?
UGASlobberknocker
March 30th, 2012
12:23 pm
Seriously, wasnt there a poppy sed in there or something? Maybe the sme dude that sealed Ryan braun’s urine messed this one up too? Cmon now help me out.
I want McGarrity to reach back down to Gainesville and hire Florida’s drug policy enforcer. They never have anyone smoke weed there. If they did, we’d hear about it, right?
hahahahahahaha
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:24 pm
“Anyone who knows CMR knows he is NOT going to fudge an any requirement, rule or law.”
___________________________________________
Is that why he won the Fulmer Cup National Championship 2008 ?
And, has the inside track to it AGAIN for 2012 ?
UGASlobberknocker
March 30th, 2012
12:25 pm
@ SHOCKED & ALARMED
Must you use the word “fudge” in your blog?. Haven’t we all had enough chocolate for one week?
funny...
March 30th, 2012
12:25 pm
They’re not kids.
Good grief.
Stop making excuses for adults. THEY ARE ALL ADULTS.
Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
12:25 pm
Richt is embarrassed. Can ya blame him?
DawginLex
March 30th, 2012
12:26 pm
bulldawg
The legal beagles told him to not comment. That is why there was a written statement given out
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:26 pm
“Anyone who knows CMR knows he is NOT going to fudge an any requirement, rule or law.”
___________________________________________
Is that why he told you he was the # 4 best coach in all of America right now ?
0-4 for 2011
0-5 for 2010
1-3 for 2009
1-3 for 2008
3-1 for 2007
2-2 for 2006
1-3 for 2005
3-2 for 2004
3-3 for 2003
3-1 for 2002
2-3 for 2001
19 won 30 lost 11 years vs made top 25
http://www.cfbtrivia.com/cfbt_detail.php?teamname=Georgia&fry=2009&thy=2009&spl=on&cres=3&jpl=on&sortby=Year
nick saban
March 30th, 2012
12:26 pm
I would never administer a drug test right after spring break. I know my players get high, but i give them a heads up when the test is coming so they will be clean by the time they take it. The administration at uga should really review their suspension policy.
Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
12:27 pm
And if I ran a renegade program I would sidestep questions also. What he should do is send the undisciplined players to bama to shine our 2011 and 2009 bcs trophies. In addition to good exercise it would teach them how a championship program’s players conduct themselves.
bham dawg
March 30th, 2012
12:28 pm
Same trolls different day. What up Big C 75
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2012
12:28 pm
Slobber………They never have anyone smoking weed in OxFord, Or Knoxville, Or Starkvile, Or Lexington, or (fill in the blank) I know this is true, because I am not told about it, meaning that they all have the utmost respect for thier coaches, and all 1000 players are highly discliplined. Good thing none of them offered scholarships to the guys we ended up with.
funny...
March 30th, 2012
12:30 pm
Wonder if this Grantham for HC movement will take off?
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
March 30th, 2012
12:30 pm
@ Shocked and Alarmed:
That ain’t “their” $3 million. It is “his” $3 million
Only a certified FOOL would say that CMR doesn’t care.
Jmiccey
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
Sad, the program/players are out of control. 28 guys that were recruited are no longer on the team, mostly for dope, battery etc…
Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
nick saban,
Really? Is that why 3 Alabama players are currently suspended from spring practice for allegedly failing drug tests? There is rhetoric from jealous fans like yourself. And then there is reality.
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
17 wins 28 losses vs teams finished AP Poll Top 25 :
http://coachesbythenumbers.com/coach-profile/?coach=Mark+Richt
bham dawg
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
@Tide Rising… if you think bamas players act in any different way you are very naive.
DanielH
March 30th, 2012
12:31 pm
Who cares that they smoke weed? The law and stupid rules like should be changed.
funny...
March 30th, 2012
12:32 pm
Georgia will lose to three of these teams this year
Missouri
South Carolina
Florida
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
What happens then?
Was five years worth it?
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:32 pm
Brainiac,
Sir,
He gives his monies to them too.
You are making my point Brainiac.
It’s NOT the players fault, it is their coach whose responsibility it is
according to
BUCK BELUE this morning.
and, according to
I’m Your Huckleberry
this morning.
funny...
March 30th, 2012
12:34 pm
The fact that Alabama fans are posting here is funny and sad.
Question about Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
12:37 pm
When one is speaking about rising in the 3rd world state of Alabama..are we talking about rising from the room down at the Extenda Lodge to the new trailer ? Rising from the roots of illiteracy to graduate 6th grade? Becoming one of the 1/1000 of 1% of Alabama fans who ever went to U of Alabama for even one semester before flunking out.? (Since most Bama fans wouldn”t know a diploma from a search warrant).
Just Wondering
Jmiccey
March 30th, 2012
12:38 pm
28 players booted from team in past 3 years! Reminds me of the Hurricanes.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
March 30th, 2012
12:39 pm
@ Altamaha Dawg:
Your 11:37 am post is on the money!!!
Just ignore the single digit IQ’s and remember. Dawg Nation is fortunate that those certified idiots have exactly ZERO to do with who coaches and how much they get paid.
CMR’s dicipline is spelled out for him and he follows those rules when violations occur. He didn’t write the rules or the punishment for the rules violation. You would think that even the single digit IQs would be able to understand but they are too full of themselves to stop and think.
They are really aiding our oppostion in recruiting!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:41 pm
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life),
Let’s hear your story sir ?
Do you go to the games ?
Ever stepped foot on campus ?
Every played the game ?
What position ?
Lived in Georgia long, or at all ?
Went to school here ?
Lettered in sports ?
What sports ?
Have a college degree ?
Where from ?
What’s your degree ?
Met Mark Richt in Church ?
Ronald McDonald
March 30th, 2012
12:46 pm
I heard it was sesame seeds from a hamburger bun.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
March 30th, 2012
12:47 pm
@ Tidee Risee:
We dam shore do no a arrest warant win we sees one!!!
Nother thang. I spin a weak at allerbamer unav…une…schule in tuskaloser. My cuzzon was sick an his lunch wuz alredie pade fer so I went an ett free fer a hole weak. dunt tel me i aint been to colage
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:47 pm
2 SEC Championships, last in 2005
I-A Winning Percentage after 2005
2005 season was 8 yrs ago now this up-coming 2012 season
01. .9240 at 73-06 Boise State
02. .8461 at 66-12 TCU
03. .8000 at 64-16 LSU
04. .7922 at 61-16 Southern Cal
05. .7804 at 64-18 Oklahoma
06. .7777 at 63-18 Florida
07. .7692 at 50-15 Ohio State
08. .7692 at 60-18 BYU
09. .7682 at 63-19 Virginia Tech
10. .7594 at 60-19 Oregon
11. .7594 at 60-19 Wisconsin
12. .7564 at 59-19 West Virginia
13. .7435 at 58-20 Texas
14. .7435 at 58-20 Utah
15. .7246 at 50-19 Alabama
16. .7179 at 56-22 Penn State
17. .7051 at 55-23 Auburn
18. .7051 at 55-23 Oklahoma State
19. .7051 at 55-23 Cincinnati
20. .7000 at 56-24 Missouri
21. .6835 at 54-25 Georgia
nick saban
March 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
We actually do have a few players suspened. Most noteably Duron Carter but we aren’t going to tell anyone why he is suspended. We don’t have any current players on suspension for a failed drug test however we wait for them to fail twice to suspend them.
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
2 SEC Championships, last in 2005
I-A Winning Percentage after 2005
2005 season was 8 yrs ago now this up-coming 2012 season
# 1 SEC .8000 at 64-16 LSU
# 2 SEC .7777 at 63-18 Florida
# 3 SEC .7246 at 50-19 Alabama
# 4 SEC .7051 at 55-23 Auburn
# 5 SEC .7000 at 56-24 Missouri
# 6 SEC .6835 at 54-25 Georgia
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
12:52 pm
28 booted from the team last 3 years, but of course Mark Richt doesn’t run players off
Which is why he has signed 109 players to his 85-man limit
And, still only has 78 on Scholarship including 3 walk-ons never play offense or defense.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
March 30th, 2012
12:56 pm
@ Shocked:
You ask dozens of questions all at one time when you have proven over and over that you can’t rationally handle one question at a time.
I played RB on offense, LB on defense and I coached for 17 years. I have been inside a church only 8 times in the past 5 years primarily as a pall bearer. CMR wasn’t there any of the 8 times
That should be enough to hold you over the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
1:00 pm
I just wondered.
Reading your posts about how much superior you are to everyone else on these blogs, I would have surmised you had a college degree, graduated cum laude, owned a business, had your home paid for, owed no one a penny for anything, had Morgan Fairchild for a wife, knew Jesus, saw God, had invented the Internet and now grace us with your pontifications of your thusly superior life.
Instead, we find out all you ever did was play LB and RB and used to coach some.
Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
1:00 pm
Question for tide rising,
Every time I drive by that big trailer lot neighborhood on 441 in Athens I laugh and think about dawg fans. And when I read about the appalling Georgia school systems and the atlanta and clayton school systems nearly losing their accreditation I laugh about georgia folks. Its just too funny.
funny,
We post here occasionally just to rag on you losers.
brainiac,
So show me Richt’s bcs trophy ma’am
bham dawg,
Of course all the players are the same. The difference though is what happens when they get on campus- the sense of discipline the program is run with. And given the plethora of arrests, suspensions, police contacts, etc. over the years for uga its clear there is no sense of discipline and order over there. The inmates are running the asylum. What has Bama had something like 2 active players in the program arrested in 3 years? Your program is in complete chaos. Ours is a model for the nation in terms of discipline and focus and of course in terms of national championships and developing players for the pros. We are projected to have an SEC record 5 players go in the 1st round of the draft this year. We had 3 or 4 go first round last year.
Tide Rising
March 30th, 2012
1:03 pm
Allright dawg fans I’ve got to head out for the day. Be back to rag you losers another time. In the meantime I suggest you send them young uns in need of discipline over to UA to shine our 2 bcs trophies and get themselves a look at what real champions look like.
bham dawg
March 30th, 2012
1:03 pm
@SHOCKED & ALARMED… only about 12 of the 28 players listed were either kicked off the team or suspended. The rest left under their own accord because they weren’t going to have playing time. These players names should not have been included, and they only were included to give trolls like you more fire power to talk about it. Its called driving up the volume. The bammers pretty much pay for this site which is rather sad considering this is a georgia blog.
Ronald McDonald
March 30th, 2012
1:05 pm
You are what you eat…… DOPE.
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
1:07 pm
The ones who transferred were all given a Scholarship to play against Mizzou.
Now, none of the 28 will, sir.
Dawg Insider
March 30th, 2012
1:08 pm
***Confirmed from a source close to the program:
The Ogletree suspension is due to a positive test for Marajuana as is the Rambo case. Rambo will be appealing. Ogletree will face four game suspension for blatant rules violations.
SHOCKED & ALARMED
March 30th, 2012
1:08 pm
I can name a lot more than 28
arrested
suspended
kicked-off the team
In fact my list is now well over 150 in Mark Richt era
Want to see it again ?
Torching a Blunt with Crowell
March 30th, 2012
1:08 pm
Uh,they tole me there would be a drug test after spring break but i forgot. DUDE! WHERE’S MY CAR?
Gator on the Loose
March 30th, 2012
1:08 pm
I say we add on 5 more and give him 10 years. I am so amused by the police blotters and drug tests!!!
Jmiccey
March 30th, 2012
1:13 pm
The program is in shambles, the players have no respect for Georgia or for the coaches. It will be another 7-5, 8-4 season, same old stuff.