Suspension possible for Bama player for hit on Georgia QB Aaron Murray
ATHENS — Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity confirmed Monday the Bulldogs have asked the SEC to review the legality of a hit on Aaron Murray that required him to be helped off the field shortly before halftime in the SEC Championship game. But they need not have bothered; the league office is already looking into it.
Alabama defensive lineman Quinton Dial hit Murray with a above-the-shoulder, helmet-to-helmet strike after Murray threw an interception at the 1:15 mark of the second quarter. Crimson Tide defensive back Ha-Sean Clinton-Dix was in the midst of a 35-yard return when the 304-pound Dial left his feet and made contact with the side of Murray’s helmet toward the end of the play. Murray was out of the play and not in position to make the tackle.
McGarity said he was “stunned” when he saw the replay of the Dial’s hit — he missed it during live-game-action — and immediately moved to make sure the play was going to be reviewed.
“I actually didn’t see the hit until I saw it on YouTube (Sunday),” McGarity said of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “It is definitely a play we will submit for review, but I’m sure that’s already being done. “I’m anxious to see what (SEC Commissioner Mike Slive) says about it.”
Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of officials, has already reviewed the play and determined that Saturday’s referees “missed the call.”
“By rule, you can’t hit a defenseless player above the shoulders,” Shaw told The Birmingham News. “What the determination needs to be is was this a defenseless player and was contact initiated above the shoulders? When we go through video review of it, that’s what we’ll have to determine. And then you as you break it down, did he lead with the head or lead with the shoulder? From game action, it was a personal foul regardless of how we break it down frame by frame.”
That would not have changed the ultimate outcome of the play. Alabama would have retained possession as the personal foul would have occurred well after the interception. But it would have backed it up 15 yards from the point of contact, which was near midfield.
Above-the-shoulders hits and “targeting” defenseless players have been a point of emphasis for the SEC this season and for all of football as the dangers of concussions have become better known. Slive suspended two players — Ole Miss defensive back Trae Elston and South Carolina safety D.J. Swearinger – for one game each for such hits earlier this season. Dial will face the same fate, and the Crimson Tide’s next game is the BCS national championship.
NCAA rules mandate that conference offices review any flagrant personal foul or targeting for possible future punishment, whether a penalty was called on the field or not.
“We do want to stand up for our players when they are in serious danger of being injured,” McGarity said. “This is a case where it could have had serious implications on Aaron, not only in that game but in future games.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,117 comments Add your comment
Bo Duke
December 4th, 2012
1:06 pm
GB
2nd tier= UGA
See you again in 30 years
hornblowermg
December 4th, 2012
1:08 pm
“HOLDING”!!!!! alabama WAS HOLDING ON JUST ABOUT EVERY PLAY; OFFENSE & DEFENSE, AND THEY WERE FLAGGED TWO(2) TIMES THE WHOLE GAME. AND NEITHER PENALTY WAS ASSESSED FOR HOLDING. Anybody see anything wrong with that? BS. We were robbed and there is no other way to see it.
BEAR79
December 4th, 2012
1:15 pm
the cheap shot was taken by the uga player & ogletre tried to tok his finger in the man eye kick him off also ask your AD about that
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
1:16 pm
Yea your right Duke b/c that win this past saturday was sooo convincing. My a** they got lucky. Murray should have spiked the ball. That would have given them atleast 2 plays. Im not saying that would have won it for them but judging from that drive, I would say the odds were with them. So say what you want about GA fact of the matter is, they are always out there in the race they may not be #1 but they are usually in the top 10 and as a fan I can’t get to upset about that. I’m just waiting for AL to hit that slide and win they do we will see how all of you AL “fans” will react. My prediction AL loses half of their fan base when AL isn’t in the NCG.
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
1:20 pm
Oh yea I guess 2002 and 2005 were 30 years ago. Man that was a quick couple of decades. I completely forgot it was 2035 already. Get your stats right jack a**
rd
December 4th, 2012
1:26 pm
Offensive line should have taken Dial out after his cheap shot on Murray. Retaliation should have been swift and Dial should be eating out of a straw this week.
uga4eva
December 4th, 2012
1:30 pm
crimson 1 , Im sure the only time you have ever been on a football field you were fetching water for us ball players ……. or on the bottom of a pyrmid !!!! hahahahahaha
dawgfan
December 4th, 2012
1:50 pm
“No dawgfan, no trophy for 2nd in the East. Just a Sugar Bowl trophy to compare with the Capital One trophy.”
That’s what I thought. No trophy for 2nd place in the East. That’s how it usually works but I wasn’t sure given all the big talk out of the Jort Nation over their BCS at large berth against the mighty Louisville Cardinals. You would think the Gators had actually won something but, alas, that isn’t the case. Thank’s for clarifying.
dawgfan is my be-otch
December 4th, 2012
1:55 pm
Orlando is kind of nice this time of year; what was your BCS ranking? Inquiring minds want to know. By the way I will trade my jorts for your fat mama wearing overalls. I guess the whole nation was wrong about your ranking and your little candyazz QB.
Nick Fairley
December 4th, 2012
1:58 pm
I wish I could come back to Auburn so I could wack UGA’s cute little QB and hear their whining fans wimper. Poooooor little Aaron.
Saban
December 4th, 2012
1:59 pm
Richt and I could settle this man to man if someone would please getting him out of the tanning bed.
uga4eva
December 4th, 2012
2:12 pm
The only good thing that comes out of bama is I-20 ………. The sad thing is it’s only a game bitches most of us guy’s on here played high school foot ball with the exeptions of crimson 1 and neal & bob <——- oh look i made a funny …. get a life its ONLY A GAME !!!!!
Saban
December 4th, 2012
2:15 pm
dawgfan is this your wife/sister or mom? Of course for a dawgfan it could be all 3.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/dec/03/cops-drunk-uga-fan-groped-licked-flashed-dacula/
AT
December 4th, 2012
2:21 pm
ga4eva, you are a True SEC Fan!
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
2:25 pm
Ha.. yea its funny our cute little qb threw for twice the yards yalls did. Even after taking the cheap shot from your retarded gorilla Dial. Check the stats ladies. They don’t lie like you losers seem to be. Oh yea whats funny is your qb had all of 112 yards until his blind hail marry to the corner. Ours had what was it 265. Think again before you try and call somone cute and little. No to mention
McCarron 191 of 286 for 2669 yds and 26 tds
A. Murray231 of 353 for3466 31 tds
Murray has 800 more yards 5 more tds and the best completion percentage in the sec
boy.. if hes cut and little what does that make McCarron
Leigh
December 4th, 2012
2:26 pm
It calls into question the integrity of the SEC Comissioner if he does not suspend this player for the entire next game. This is what he did to ole miss and south carolina. I am not a fan of either team, but watched the game. I also don,t know alot about football, but i know what i see, and i saw helmet to helmet, intentional. As this is such a major concern in the NFL, only makes sense that it should not be tolerated at the collegiate level. Just be fair in your rulings!!!!!!!!!
champdawgs
December 4th, 2012
2:26 pm
I know this article is old now,but I’m just now reading the blog comments. It is true from reading the comments that you DO have to be a true REDNECK to be a BAMA fan for making some of these remarks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
80DAWG
December 4th, 2012
2:28 pm
Guys and especially the crazy person bringing up Obama. He was not “given” anything! He won. Please hush!
No team, including mine, UGA loses due to the refs. UGA is no dirtier than any other team. These kids this year are not thugs. Most are nice kids. Olgetree was flagged and should have been. Dial’s hit should have been. Unlike some of the crazies here from both teams, coach Saban will address Dial. Trust me. Guys some of you folks and your rants and nasty behavior are just sad. UGA lost. We played hard Bama played hard. Both kids gave it all. Coach Saban and several of the Bama players commented on how good the uga team is. Just classy bunch. Football is an emotional game and sometimes a lot of players get carried away. In the NFL the hit Dial made would have cost a fine. It is what it is. It does not mean he is a horrible young man. I am sure he would not want to permanently injure someone. He did to a above shoulders helmet to helmet. I am sure Coach Saban got on to him, just like CMR gets on to our kids when they do stuff. Y’all sure are acting crazy!
Samford grad
December 4th, 2012
2:28 pm
This game tape needs to be reviewed. If steve shaw, bama alum, doesnt do so he should be relieved of his duties. Mike slive should suspend the bama win and the refs. Bama was not called for holding ONE time. Bama fans can deny they cheat but the rest of the football world knows what happens everytime Bama plays. Its bs and i hope nd pulls off an epic upset Maybe it will not be an sec crew, we can only hope!
UGAY " Nuff Said"
December 4th, 2012
2:28 pm
Does anyone talk english on this blog??????
uga4eva
December 4th, 2012
2:32 pm
THANK U AT ?????? AND YOUR POINT IS ????
david
December 4th, 2012
2:34 pm
Just down right stupid ! Even the Qb for Georgia said it was a legal hit. Just another way to try and punish Alabama right before they play notre dame. And Georgia where no Angeles out there either. So ate they gonna suspend them ?
david saint
December 4th, 2012
2:36 pm
dirty play, and he absolutely deserves to be suspended. Anything less than a half game suspension is a joke.
Barry
December 4th, 2012
2:37 pm
No matter who does it or when………….a flagrant, cowardly cheapshot – is a flagrant, cowardly cheapshot, regardless of what some of you “macho men” watching games from in front of a TV screen might think! It should have been a major penalty and Dial should sit out the bowl game.
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
2:41 pm
I see yall are avoiding the facts dawgfanismybiotch, nick fairley and saban
UA bunch of cheaters
December 4th, 2012
2:43 pm
Nuff said
80DAWG
December 4th, 2012
2:46 pm
From someone who acts like and 8th grader and says, UGAY?
The only thing H U M P E R fans can say.
December 4th, 2012
2:57 pm
What a bunch of whining puzzies. Not even Vandy whines like UGA fans! Reminds me of a couple of years ago when they whined about Brandon Spikes eye gouge that even Washup Ealey thought was funny. You guys would have cheered like crazy if the player would have been McCarron. How many cheap shots do you think thugs like oglestree and williams have given in their careers. You fleabags have NO SHAME! Pathetic home for the girls. I hope Nebraska goes easy on you at Disney; hope Mickey doesn’t shake hands too hard during your weeklong visit to Funland.
UGAgirl
December 4th, 2012
2:59 pm
I think everyone should see Dial’s personal response to the incident via Twitter. The shot was debatably illegal but definitely in bad sportsmanship, and while the football game is over what remains at stake is respect for the sport. Take a look at Dial’s retweet of an Alabama fan’s response: https://twitter.com/JessHatfield11/status/275306404548599808
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:06 pm
Can someone explain to me why you GA fans are not addressing the eye poke by your player on the AL defensive back? Someone, anyone??????????????????
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
3:14 pm
Yea truth I can. No one knows what your talking about because there was no replay of it no one is talkin about it except bama fans. And why? Because you idiots are tryin to justify a cheap shot by one of your players. Just face AL fans it was cheap shot. And yes the only thing HUMPER we would have been cheering and yall would have been doin this exact same thing. But I would have admitted it was a cheap shot because it was. Doesn’t take away from the fact that at the time i would have been like F*** yea.
shankit
December 4th, 2012
3:16 pm
If the Dawgs could have stopped the two point conversion by Saban,
it would have been a two point differential instead of a four point, and
we could have kicked a field goal at the end to win.
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:19 pm
Have you seen me once defend his actions? Go check this whole blog and see. Never once did I defend it. So for your viewing pleasure.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9FrbEBp9k
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:23 pm
Bad thing about smlarsen is Al is playing in the BCS and GA is not. 1980 has been a real long time. Keep your stats, it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, what shows as the final score matters.
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:23 pm
Shankit you are correct.
Crab Island Dawg
December 4th, 2012
3:28 pm
The 2 bammer boy’s must be harvey updike’s illegitimate children.
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
3:30 pm
Your right that is. I just don’t see where your fans can get off sayin murray is a weak QB. He’s not. As stated previously until I went into some of these blogs and saw just how shitty AL fans were I was rooting for them in the NCG. However, after seeing the way you bafoonish, trailer park inhabiting, ass holes act in this and other blogs I am sad to say that I will not be pulling for the SEC in the title game this year. AL fans everywhere need to get a life. Your one bad season away from having not only an entire confrence but the entire NCAA hating yall.
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 4th, 2012
3:30 pm
smlarsen…………….watch the PLAY in full speed. Not a LATE hit. Murray was moving towards the Player making the INT…Admit it you are just upset you lost and your QB got hit. I have not hear you CRYING for Ben Jones to be suspended or TREE for his hits/bodyslam/piledriving of the #25 Georgia tech player. Face it you are 30+years butt hurt and need to cry.
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 4th, 2012
3:32 pm
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
BEN JONES
Cry UGA fans but CUSS BEN JONES too.
uga4eva
December 4th, 2012
3:37 pm
WHAT DO YOU CALL A PRETTY GIRL AT BAMA ????
A VISITOR HAHAHAHA
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
3:52 pm
I have watched it many times dip shit. The play was ending as it happend. I might not have been over but was ending. There was no way that murray was going to be any part of that play. Your dumb ass gorilla came over and dove helmet first into him. Malicious, stupidity is all that can be said about that play and as far as i can tell your grasp on reality. You act like AL has been on fire the last thirty years take away your miracle in 92 and from 79-2009 yall didn’t do shit. OMG how many years is that 30. So eat your words and gets your facts straight bi***
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:55 pm
Smalrsen, let me know when that season comes about.
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:56 pm
What is the miracle in 1992 you talk about. Best my memory serves me, Al went 13-0? Al beat the stew out of Miami in the Sugar Bowl. You got me on that one sister.
BamaGuy
December 4th, 2012
3:57 pm
You Georgia guys want people to just GIVE you guys something?…Well, We did…and A$$ Whooping… to the tune of setting a rushing record with that tank (42) that ran through that big time (1st rounders) Georgia D…
Truth
December 4th, 2012
3:59 pm
So now we have smlarsen calling African American players “Gorilla”. Makes me wonder.
BamaGuy
December 4th, 2012
4:04 pm
No matter how you spin it or who you call crying to… you will still be playing in the Crapitol One Bowl and watching the Tide win the BCS in Miami…Accept the Heartbreak….Give Grantham a raise…
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
4:11 pm
Thats in reference to his size and strength moron but bring race into it if you want thats your call not mine. And Bama guy, it might just be me but a 4 point victory isn’t exactly an a** whopping. Maybe try something like I’m glad we squeaked by and got out of that in one piece.
Samford grad
December 4th, 2012
4:36 pm
Beyond the folks in bama who travel to walmarts throughout bama to view illegally obtained crystal footballs, everyone knows bama cheats. Bama holds on ever play but the last flag they got for holding was pre- bear, just ask lsu and others in th west! The truth always comes out, it will this time too.
smlarsen
December 4th, 2012
4:43 pm
Thats what I thought truth and bama guy
Dawg Tired
December 4th, 2012
4:48 pm
I an amazed when a clearly helmet to helmet hit like this happens and someone tries to defend it. Obviously should have been a penalty. Anyone saying otherwise is either stupid or just trying to get folks upset. Of course, it was not the only missed call in the game. It was just a fairly egregious missed call.