Big news in the defensive backfield

No other way to categorize this:

Branden Smith will play opener, Richt announces.—
Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) August 04, 2012

There will be questions about the decision, as Smith was arrested for marijuana possession, but…

"We've got peace that we're doing the right thing in letting him play," Richt said. Smith was arrested on possession of marijuana in spring.—
Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) August 04, 2012

In any event, this has huge consequences for the Missouri game.  (You also have to wonder what this presages for the other outstanding suspension news.)

Maybe everybody will quit fighting over Malcolm Mitchell now.  And I wonder if John Pennington will have second thoughts about who wins the SEC East.

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Can’t lose what you never had.

Yes, the Paterno family is borderline delusional for believing they had standing to appeal the Penn State sanctions, but the rationale the NCAA pointed to in its backhand to the Paternos should make you take pause.

The NCAA quickly acted saying, “The Penn State sanctions are not subject to appeal.” That sentence appeared in the Twitter account of Bob Williams, NCAA vice president of communications…

In essence, there can be no appeal because there was no formal investigation. [Emphasis added.] The NCAA board and executive committee, along with president Mark Emmert, acted alone in the case.

I’ll say it again:  if you’re the president or chancellor an institution that counts itself among the NCAA membership, you’d be a certified fool to agree to any investigation of your athletic department that didn’t include direct NCAA involvement.

From a former NCAA infractions committee chairman:  “When you do things in an unusual way, it’s hard to evaluate it in the regular process … The other response to it, I suppose, they would be avoiding the bylaws to do the original penalties at Penn State, why not avoid them again [with an appeal].”

Don’t say you weren’t warned.