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.”
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1,117 comments Add your comment
sammiamm
December 3rd, 2012
5:32 pm
that’s awesome: i-minus
get it?
probably not.
SouthGA Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
5:32 pm
It is funny how many alabama fans are on here trying to justify the no call hit. Alabama did not beat the Dawgs down the damn clock ran out and luckily for Alabama that it did because UGA had them by their balls and was fixing to cut them off. The officials were terrible in this game. You can not compare Ogletrees hit on AJ to the hit on Murray. Ogletree was rushing in and led with his shoulder if you will review the tape not his helmet.He just went to crying to the official who threw a late flag. All Alabama fans know that UGA put the but whipping on them and fell seconds short but thats why we keep score. Good luck in Miami but shut your mouths about them Dawgs you are very lucky to be going to Miami, the best team is going to Orlando.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:33 pm
Would love to see Dawgs or Bama play Ohio St…….Talk about weak schedule.
eddiethegeek
December 3rd, 2012
5:33 pm
Don’t hold your breath – there is ZERO chance that the vaunted SEC powers-that-be will susend a Bama starter for the NC game. Maybe hold him out of the first half of the Georgia State game next fall. But NO CHANCE he’s suspended for the Jan. 7 game. Although this hit DEFINITELY merits a suspension from the NC game.
SEC commiss got no ballz.
Beast from the East
December 3rd, 2012
5:33 pm
dewnsav
December 3rd, 2012
5:32 pm
STUNNED at the classless comments about this hit…Bama won the game fair and square…no crying here…I think the ref’s missed several calls BOTH ways,..this was textbook “targeting”…and a CHEAP shot to boot…we’ll see if the SEC is serious about this…and I would say the same thing if a UGA player had done this…I stated it that night and I will repeat, he will be suspended for this, and rightly so…go dogs
————–
What about the eye-gouging??????
MT
December 3rd, 2012
5:34 pm
Folks it don’t matter if Murray was meandering toward the play. It was helmet to helmet above the shoulders .That’s now illegal on any player, not just QB’s. I don’t know what Bama fans are getting so defensive about it, the announcers the other day said it more than likely would result in a suspension.
The league was already on it, before McGarity contacted the SEC office.You can’t deliver a decleater head to head anymore. That official that five yards away looking right at the play should be fined.
With this being said, all this did not cost Georgia the game, Alabama did what the needed to do, and they saved themselves at the end.
Ryan Jackson
December 3rd, 2012
5:34 pm
It’s no wonder you guys don’t win big games when you can’t even lose them right. I’m reminded of the Beatle’s song “Cry Baby Cry”
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:34 pm
01HAWK……We heard ya…move along
they hurt my son....feelings
December 3rd, 2012
5:36 pm
MAN UP & SHUT UP. GEORGIA PLAYED A GOOD GAME, IT JUST WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. AJ WAS HIT PRETTY VICIOUSLY ALSO, DID THE TIDE CRY (FOUL). NEXT UP ON THE AZZ KICKING TRAIN…ND. AND I DO EXPECT THE “DAWGS” TO ROOT FOR BAMA, SINCE WE OWN THAT AZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan Jackson
December 3rd, 2012
5:37 pm
Have you dawgs stopped to consider that if Dial gets suspended then Ogeltree (spelling) might also get suspended for the same thing? good job Georgia
dewnsav
December 3rd, 2012
5:37 pm
hawk…get over it…you can’t beat an SEC team…find another obsession…no one cares what you think…go dogs
DawgFan
December 3rd, 2012
5:37 pm
Bombastic = ignoramous
MIKE QUINN
December 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
FIRST OF ALL IT WAS A CLEAN HARD BLOCK. PEOPLE WANT THIS GAME THESE DAYS TO BE PLAYED LIKE YOUR SCARED TO TOUCH ANYBODY. I SAW SOME IDIOT NAMED GEORGIA SAY ALABAMA WAS LUCKY THEY WON THE GAME. LOOK AT THE STATS AND THE 2 CALLS THAT THE REFS BLEW. ONE WAS THE TOUCHDOWN THAT LACY SCRED WHEN HE REACHED THE BALL TO THE GOAL LINE. WHEN THE BALL HITS THE PLAIN ITS A TOUCHDOWN PLAY OVER. THE OTHER WAS THE NON TIPPED PASS. THE BALL NEVER BROKE ITS PATTERN OR PATH SO IN OTHER WORDS IT WASNT TOUCHED. PASS INTERFEREMCE SHOULD HAVE STOOD AND DOGS DON’T SCORE ON A BLOCKED FIELD GOAL. SO WHAR IT COMES DOWN TOO IS THE DOGS LAST DRIVE SHOULB’R HAVE MATTERED EVEN IF THEY SCORED A TOUCHDOWN BAMA STILL WINS. SO DOG FANS GET OVER IT YOU LOST. MAYBE YA’LL WILL GET ANOTHER CHANCE IN 33 YEARS. ROOOOOOOOLLLLLLL TIIIIIIIDE SEC CHAMPS.
Alex
December 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
it does not matter how close he was, he was running toward the play…..if you run towards the play, you are engaging in the play…he deserved to be laid out for being stupid, opening himself up to a hit….QB coaches always tell their guys to stay away from those types of cheap shots…..I am not a fan of either team, but Murray deserved his fate.. the GA AD needs to stop the whining…
Roll.........backthetrailerpark!
December 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
Why don’t all you Alabama trash go back to the trailer park and learn how to spell before you come back on here. Alabama beat Georgia by less than 5 yards when it came down to it, so you’re “almighty” team isn’t that great. I hope the Irish beat the crap out of you rednecks and roll you back to the trailer park where you should stay. I don’t condemn cheap shots from any team, but Dial should be suspended for the BCS game. I guess Alabama has to use cheap shots to play against grown man football. It’s just a shame our DC was too slow in adjusting the defense because Georgia did slow the run down considerably by the end of the 4th quarter. Too little too late I guess.
Buckeye
December 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
jb,
I’d just like to see the dogs play. Preferable over whining.
And win a big one every 30 years or so.
dewnsav
December 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
Ryan, if Ogletree did something warranting a suspensions, then so be it…go dogs
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 3rd, 2012
5:38 pm
Where are the UGa fans calling for Ben Jones’ head when he tried to hurt a Miss St player with a Clip to the knees from the back some 20 yards down field? What about Ben Jones jumping on Fairley and throwing punches to his gut but got to play in the Tech game the next week.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:39 pm
Switch gears a minute….Went on the Knoxville paper today and they are having a time getting a “big time” coach to listen. They have turned to Gunday at Okie St. The article went on to say that Tenn not finishing in the top 25 since 07 is hurting the effort, plus lot’s of jobs open.
DawgFan
December 3rd, 2012
5:39 pm
Ryan, big difference Ogletree’s hit was not helmet to helmet…Bama will be short one thug when they plan ND…chalk it up.
Say Whut
December 3rd, 2012
5:39 pm
Big Damn Deal– now. The umpire was right in front of the play. And where was referee Tom Ritter?. Why didn’t they throw the flag at that moment? It would have been big, since Alabama kicked a FG right after that. Maybe the SEC can explain?
they hurt my son....feelings
December 3rd, 2012
5:39 pm
STEELY DAN SAID IT BEST, THEY GOT A NAME FOR THE WINNERS OF THE WORLD…THEY CALL ALABAMA THE CRIMSON TIDE
DawgFan
December 3rd, 2012
5:41 pm
AJ is the one that got up crying to the ref, not Murray…Roll over Tide, the Dawgs should have one this one, you could not stop us either…admit it 400 yards of offense on this so called No 1 D….hahahaha
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:42 pm
Hawk….Is it true that Miles new contract calls for one free psycho test a year?
Roll Tide
December 3rd, 2012
5:43 pm
On a side note. I just learned why they had artifical turf at the Dome on Saturday. Rumor has it that the Dogs chearleaders missed the noon meal and the artifical turf was put in place to prevent them from grazing at half time.
Buckeye
December 3rd, 2012
5:43 pm
dogs,
This is gonna be great. You’re gonna be cryin’ and a humpin’ for until you play a ranked team next year.
And the cycle will continue.
Jim
December 3rd, 2012
5:43 pm
Boy did this touch some Alabama redneck nerves. Maybe the replay rules should be changed to allow the replay booth to call things that affect safety like this hit.
Buckeye
December 3rd, 2012
5:44 pm
they hurt,
ROCK ON DUDE.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:44 pm
Really need an out of conference crew doing this game. Slive and Saban both slimy.
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 3rd, 2012
5:44 pm
Fat Pig BEN JONES…………Fat Pig BEN JONES……………………boy you UGa fans forget your Thugs so damn fast.
After PUNCHING(multiple times) Fairley in the GUT he was allowed to play against TECH. Hell so were all the UGa players that rushed the field during the fight.
Don’t act like the dWags are angels.
Beast from the East
December 3rd, 2012
5:45 pm
JB,
Heard Peterson is going to Arky, but no confirmation yet.
Also, did you see Muschmap hired Joker Phillips as WR coach?
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:45 pm
Roll tide=Adult with maybe a 4th grade education
they hurt my son....feelings
December 3rd, 2012
5:46 pm
OK MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKS. ANYONE THAT KNOW FOOTBALL KNOW, ONCE THE INT WAS THROWN, ANNE MURRAY BECAME FAIR GAME. HE WAS HEADED TOWARD THE PLAY AND RECEIVED A BLOCK (A VICIOUS BLOCK)…PART OF THE GAME. I UNDERSTAND NOW, THE COACH IS CRYING, THE A.D. IS CRYING, THE PLAYERS ARE CRYING AND THE FANS ARE CRYING. AT LEAST THE ‘MUTTS’ I MEAN ‘DAWGS’ ARE CONSISTENT
cmac
December 3rd, 2012
5:46 pm
it’s alabama … they don’t penalize them during the game so I doubt they will penalize them after the game!
Truth
December 3rd, 2012
5:47 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9FrbEBp9k
And here we have GA’s finest with the eye poke. Gotta love it. Pt calling the kettle black.
dewnsav
December 3rd, 2012
5:47 pm
hawk…get over it…you cannot beat an SEC team…go dogs
Long time Tech fan
December 3rd, 2012
5:47 pm
This is just a replay of Darwin Holt’s hit on Chick Graning in the 1961 Tech/Alabama game. Bama hasn’t changed much in 51 years.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:48 pm
No Beast, hadn’t heard that. Wow. I’m sure that will help Gators recruiting also. I understand Joker is a great guy and recruiter. Peterson at Arkansas is big. Surprised he would want some of the SEC WEST. Gotta be the hardest place on earth to win
Truth
December 3rd, 2012
5:49 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9FrbEBp9k
Pot calling the kettle black. GA player with the eye poke of AL player.
Brandon
December 3rd, 2012
5:49 pm
Go ahead…suspend him. We have ten more just like him. Ear Holed! Rule #1 when a QB throws a pick….Get your head on a swivel.
But seriously, if you look at it in slow motion, he actually his the shoulder and riccochets off it to the helmet. Should be a penalty for helmet to helmet but no way is that a suspension. The runner was 10 yards away.
Doug
December 3rd, 2012
5:49 pm
Bammer, why don’t you go sexually assault a fan or poison a tree?
they hurt my son....feelings
December 3rd, 2012
5:50 pm
BTW…NICK DOES RECRUIT FROM THE STATE OF GA (HE HAS A HOME HERE). IT IS A SHAME THAT UGA LET ALL OF THE BEST TALENT LEAVE THE STATE. JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE
reddnready
December 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
i have been watching SEC athletics for over 40yrs and regardless of the sport, alabama always gets the benefit of every call. the officials always seem to looking the other way. while its true, you could probably call holding on every play, the obvious holding by alabamas offensive line all season long, and its not called, its just ridiculous. in every game this season that the tide needed “a play” to decide a game, the refs made sure of it. Tex A&M excluded (because A&M kicked their butts). but thats the only way a team can beat the tide, is by beating them and the officials too. i dont know whether its because of the league office being in B’ham, or the fact that they are the poster child of the league. no idea, but it makes me sick to watch them play. being a long time supporter of the SEC sports, i find myself forced to sit this one out or pull for those gold domers. but if you want to beat alabama at any sport, you have to beat the officials too. i keep thinking, at some point the bias for the tide has to stop. its not just on the field of play either. it shows up in every league decision. after 40yrs of watch this go on, i dont ever see it changing.
Beast from the East
December 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
JB,
We need some help at the WR position. No playmakers and we are struggling to get elite recruits at that position. He should help tremendously.
Nothing confirmed on the Peterson deal, but saw a link from an Arky board that said it would be announced Tuesday. If it’s true it would be a GREAT hire for them, in my opinion.
SouthGA Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
Hey idiot with the capital letters. Those calls you are refering to were reviewed by officials with a little bit better camera angles than you have. It didnt take much reviewing on that hit idiot. Ogletree led with his shoulding and then made helmet to helmet contact because AJ went crying the late flag was thrown. Not the case against UGA, Why? The ref claimed to be the only person who did not see the hit and it is his job to watch the QB. What else did he not call against Alabama? His credibility is worthless to miss something that blatent.
Roll Tide
December 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
Give me a break JB…..I gadeated from the 6th grade…By the way we whipped your behind….How does it feel to be going to a non BCS bowl game. Have fun and maybe we will meet again next year for the SEC crown. Oh wait it will be a rebuilding year for Ga. and a reloading year for the TIDE.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
If you have the game DVR’ed, go to it at slow watch the Bama center hold Jenkins on almost every play. Is grabbing the jersey outside the shoulder pads with both hands legal? Maybe it is.
flo-ri-duh
December 3rd, 2012
5:52 pm
It was a blatant helmet to helmet cowardly hit to a player that was walking off the field. How the ref standing 10 yards away and looking straight at the play did not see it was impossible unless he went blind. The so called interception was a ball that hit the ground and bounced – as it was ruled. They took 10 minutes reviewing it from different angles and got the correct call. If the ball touches the ground or bounces it is an incomplete pass. The other play you are whining about was touched in the air at the line of scrimmage before it got to the receiver and was also reviewed from various angles and called correctly a tipped ball. By the way on that particular play the defensive back did not hit the receiver before the ball got there and should not have been called interference any way. There was another interference call against UGA at or near the goal line that was not interference. The ball was already over and beyond the receiver before the defensive back hit him but the ref gave Bama a 1st down there any way and eventually GAVE them a score. While you are at it how about the 5 or 6 obvious holding penalties by the Bama OL that weren’t called? One obvious one was on the long TD pass that gave Bama the final lead. Dial hit Murray from the side where Murray couldn’t even see him and he hit him helmet to helmet – a cowardly act and he should be suspended. It’s on film and you can’t deny what’s right before your eyes. He hit him with the intent to cause injury and should be suspended. That would have moved the ball back to Bama’s 31 yard line. There were two refs watching as shown on the film and they both went blind? The ref should be suspended too and demoted to high school ball. The SEC office doesn’t favor either side and they said already that it was a cowardly helmet to helmet late hit. If that had been penalized Bama never would have gotten close enough for a field goal – it would have been 1st and 30 from their own 31 yard line. That alone gave Bama the game since UGA could have kicked a field goal at the end and won.
Ryan Jackson
December 3rd, 2012
5:53 pm
I would be embarrassed and upset if Mal Moore ever called Mike Slive in reverse roles. One of the many things that seperate our two universities.
JB
December 3rd, 2012
5:53 pm
Beast, its great for the SEC also. Wow.