The AJ-C‘s Georgia beat writer delivers a timely “everybody just chill the eff out” message:
Judging from my email inbox and interactions on social media, concerns are beginning to mount regarding discipline on the Georgia football team. With Monday’s news that starting place-kicker Marshall Morgan was arrested over the weekend for boating under the influence, the Bulldogs are known to have had four players have brushes with the law since spring…
… That said, I have to reiterate that I don’t believe there’s a discipline problem within the football program at Georgia. The issues that have arisen the past couple of months are the same ones that come up regularly with college students everywhere. And with 125 student-athletes to supervise, it’s inevitable that a few such things surface every year.
The difference in UGA and some other programs is its conduct codes and policies are spelled out very clearly and publicly. And, generally, their internal processing of such matters is fairly transparent, markedly so in comparison to a lot of other places.
Just because that’s true doesn’t mean it’s not easy to lose sight of.
Get The Picture 
How could the AJC allows this to get out to the public??
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It is probably behind the paywall so no one will see it anyway.
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I am outraged at Chip’s lack of outrage!
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I love this stuff. It is just boys being boys. Think about how you guys would behave when you were that age and on Georgia’s roster this year. Let’s blow off steam before we have to go gangbusters at CLEMSON, S.C. and LSU.
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It’s a holy miracle I was never arrested during my 4 years in Athens. I drank underage, got in a couple of bar fights, and used more fake IDs than Jason Bourne. As long as Georgia players do stupid college kid stuff and not stupid felony stuff (or commit murder like um, *cough*, no one in particular) I can live with this.
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Yep.
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Irishdawg! Are you….ME?
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Shultz is on tha mother f’er.
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A boating under the influence charge, a seat-belt/license combo where the perp was on his way to get the license issue taken care of, and the dorm room incident where pot was allegedly smoked, but none was found.
Did I miss something? All of these were victimless “crimes” where the fallout for being on the front page is more harmful to the public than the actual act that led to the run-in with the law.
When a UGA player busts someone’s ear drum (UF) and is not let go, or a group of players attack an off-duty policeman in a bar (UT) and are not let go, or when players are running a cocaine-trafficking organization on campus (ALA), or when players get involved with organized crime (LSU), or when groups of players sexually assault someone (VU), THEN I will listen to an argument about player discipline. Until then, everybody needs to chill the eff out in the parlance of our times.
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I agree with you, to an extent. To play devil’s advocate for a moment, boating accidents are almost always fatal or severely damaging. Slinging people around on tubes at 30mph on a boat can go really effin’ bad really effin’ quickly…add booze in. I’m not sayin I don’t drink and boat….but just because no one got hurt doesn’t change the potential for that to have NOT been a victimless crime. That’s why the law is there. He broke a law, hence the punishment will be enforced.
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I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. Trey talked about lack of discipline in the big picture sense, and you’re talking more about this specific incident. I don’t think Trey is saying this incident should go unpunished. Any level headed person would agree that Morgan broke two laws here. There’s no question about that. He’s just saying this incident, as well the others Chip references, don’t equal a discipline problem.
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There is also the little matter of intent. I know you’re not equating BUI and the litany of above offenses, but more than anything I think intent is a big divide.
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JN + Cosmic, I think you guys are both correct. I don’t think UGA or Vandy, whom he compared us to, have a discipline problem. I just wanted to point out that a BUI is actually quite a serious thing, should there have been an accident, whereas smokin a doob and driving without a license (which was the arresting offense in that matter) are far more benign. Nitpicking for sure. Go Dawgs!
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Yes, except smoking a dooby saves lives while driving without a license costs lives. Nah! Just going for the Inane Comment Award.
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I’ll just echo what JN and Cosmic said, but with one caveat. The BUI offense might not have been an offense if you or I did it. MM is probably in trouble because he was underage which makes the threshold for BUI considerably lower. I am not discounting his offense… laws are laws, and players (just like those outside the arena) should face the consequences when they break them. I just don’t see the same intent (as Cosmic mentioned) or damage done by UGA players that you see from its fellow institutions that seem to skate by without public outcry.
I am proud of our players and think they are getting a bad rap for (mostly) piddly little things that are splashed on the front page.
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How is Mark Richt ever going to get fired if they keep writing crap like this?
#thuguga
P.S. Who the hell is “social interacting” with Chip Towers? And thinks we’re the program with a discipline problem?
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Tech fans
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Rocket Dog.
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I am always outraged by fans/media comments about the lack of discipline at UGA under Richt. Go back through the years and eliminate the news articles and public knowledge through the internet/social media IF Georgia didn’t treat 1st or 2nd offenses for things like: failed drug tests, drinking violations, driver’s license issues, scooter violations, non-violent gun issues, etc., and THEN compare the program with other Top 20 teams. Do we have issues with players like all other teams? Of course, but the comparative number is pretty damned impressive when you stick to an apples to apples comparison. How can the media not include a comment in the story that most schools would have no punishement for the same “crime”? I understand the fans around the country not doing their homework, but we are getting all the negative news, but not being held up as an example of a school that is doing more to teach young athletes a life lesson at the expense of winning key games. I know there are PAC12 schools that do not even test for marijuana, and we know there are dozens who give multiple chances to pass before any disciplinary action is ever taken, if at all.
Our issues are dramatized and enlarged because we adhere to a stricter code than others, and because we don’t get the “silent” call to the coach when a minor altercation is involved, and also because we do suspend players for big games…which puts a brighter spotlight on each violation. If FU suspends a player for a game, and that game is against Georgia State on pay-per-view, who ever really hears about it? Let u shave players out for Clemson, SC. etc., and millions more hear about each incident.
This is not to say we should change and adopt an attitude of not having standards, but the playing field is not only out of balance on the field of play, but in the media/public relations arena as well.
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“THEN compare the program with other Top 20 teams.”
On the sunny side, those made up and flagellant offenses served us very well in 2010, although not as well as the 2011 winner which put up Dabo Swinneyesque Benchmark Chik-Fil-A like numbers that may never be matched again:
• 2006: Marshall Thundering Herd, 15 Points.
• 2007: Illinois Fighting Illini, 24 Points.
• 2008: Alabama Crimson Tide, 28 Points.
• 2009: USF Bulls, 18 Points.
• 2010: Georgia Bulldogs, 20 Points
• 2011: Auburn Tigers, 81 Points. And the first recorded Switzer Slam in history – the National Championship, the Heisman, and the Fulmer Cup
http://sportsargumentwiki.com/index.php?title=Fulmer_Cup
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Not only is it “fairly transparent,” our players can be easily spotted from control towers and are freshly popped daily by land, sea and air from the alleys of Athens to shores of Lake Sinclair*.
*You Ought to Look Out for helos
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While I agree with you, Chip Towers and everybody else on this board, I also admit my first reaction was “S–t, and we’re not even halfway through the summer!”
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Has anyone noticed that the “Big Uglies” don’t hit the police roster? That’s probably because they don’t drink and they keep a low profile by sleeping in the isles while returning from PC Springfest.
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Except when they pass out on the john downtown. But, who hasn’t, you know?
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“Inbox and interactions on social media” – give me a f-ing break!! Nobody with a brain wastes their time interacting with Towers or his crappy newspaper – he makes this shit up as he goes. Its easy to see he’s going to bombard anyone who’ll read his shit with the “Richt discipline meme”. First, he says there is no problem, while insinuating there’s groundswell concern about discipline from the fanbase. Next, continue to wear out the word discipline in every message he writes all through the summer. Then bring up the imaginary discipline issue at a CMR presser and have coach roll eyes at the dumb reporter. You can always count on Towers for the same boring b.s. day after day, month after month, year after year.
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First!
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If assholes were targets, you hit Chip and Schultz with that post. Two-fers!
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Technically, he wasn’t anywhere near “under the influence” according to science, but according to georgia law, he was…..Not only that, but he was very respectful and cooperated with the arresting officer. “Presence of alcohol” in his breath, means that he blew a trace or the exact minimum of 0.02% alcohol. I get that by accidentally swallowing mouthwash….
If he gets suspended, I hope it’s just for a quarter or two…assuming the charges stand in court.
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Well said
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You got mouthwash that makes your breath smell like alcohol? What’s it called; – “Shmooz”?
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He’s 19, doesn’t matter to some DNR guy who is told to fill a quota.
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The problem with that is that it is my understanding that our discipline rules apply to alcohol related arrests, regardless of whether they result in convictions or not….
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He will not go to court. The charges will be dropped and all will be forgiven.
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I enjoy the “Mark Richt has lost control” meme. It irks the sports journalists such as Seth. Like a puppy getting his nose rubbed in his own mess.
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You guys are killing me….It hurts to laugh.
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