Free at last!

Well, I’ll be damned.

Nearly three years after arriving at Georgia, Kolton Houston is finally going to be allowed to play football. That the news came on his birthday was a bonus.

Houston, a junior offensive lineman from Buford, had his eligibility reinstated Thursday by the NCAA. He had been banned for steroid use in January of 2010. He has been under NCAA suspension ever since.

He’s got two years of eligibility left.  The question is how quickly he can be game ready, but in any event, it’s great news to hear.

29 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football, The Body Is A Temple, The NCAA

29 responses to “Free at last!

  1. Debby Balcer

    Awesome news. I saw it on Facebook. GO DAWGS, free at last what a great birthday present.

    Like

  2. heyberto

    I’m shocked and definitely elated for him. DGD.

    Like

  3. Ed Kilgore

    Great news at a time of year when you mainly worry about suspensions. Congrats to Houston for his persistence, which was finally rewarded.

    Like

  4. Nate Dawg

    Hells yeah! Go Dawgs!

    Like

  5. IndyDawg

    Congrats and happy birthday, Kolston! Now make the most of the opportunities before you.

    Like

  6. 69Dawg

    I sure am glad for the boy. The NCAA did nothing he finally was about to get below the threshold for that drug. They still suck like a Hoover.

    Like

  7. Hogbody Spradlin

    They got something right? Must be an accident.

    Like

    • SlobberKnocker

      They didn’t do a thing. He just finally met the threshold.

      “NCAA President Mark Emmert denied Georgia’s appeal for immediate reinstatement but allowed that Houston could have his eligibility restored when the amount of steroid in his system reached the NCAA’s acceptable threshold. That threshold was reached on Houston’s most recent test.”

      They still suck

      Like

  8. SlobberKnocker

    That’s fantastic.

    Like

  9. HaveuseenmyStapler

    Awesome News! Happy Birthday Kolton!
    …and yes, the NCAA deserves no credit it seems.

    Like

  10. Big time?.......not!

    NCAA still sux. Happy for Kolston.

    Like

  11. DawgFaithful

    Best news I’ve heard all week! I’m so happy for the kid. Maybe he can win a Tackle spot. He has twice before.

    Like

  12. HamDawg11

    Man, I’m fired up for that kid!!! From everything I’ve heard he has maintained a great attitude throughout this ordeal. Kudos to him and his parents for raising him right.

    Can’t wait to see 75 between the hedges other than in Spring!

    Like

  13. Boz

    And he can petition for a third year of eligibility… If we get to that point, that is where the NCAA can step up and do the right thing.

    Like

    • Mayor of Dawgtown

      I think that is right–on both counts. Alternatively, by then UGA, the SEC and all the other major football programs and conferences may no longer be under the thumb of that insipid, worthless, corrupt organization given what Slive and others have been saying the last few days.

      Like

  14. Bobby

    Hell yes! I wouldn’t be surprised if he was starting by midseason. This is huge. This guy probably would have been starting already. At the least, we really do have great o-line depth now.
    Theus, Beard, Gates, Lee, Andrews, Burnette, Ward, and Houston. Possibly even Pyke and A. Long.

    We’re going to have a pretty good line by the first of the season, but this unit has the potential to be nasty by midseason. Loving it.

    Like

    • IveyLeaguer

      Yah, I agree. It’ll increase the competition for sure, because the current OL knows that Houston can play.

      This is somewhat picky, granted, but I wouldn’t say our OL depth is great. I’d say it’s adequate, about where it should be. But it’s certainly great compared to where it’s been since Richt got here. I’ll drink to that.

      That changes next year, so we have to keep evaluating well and plugging away at recruiting.
      ~~~

      Like

  15. BigSam

    Two. Freakin’. Deep.
    We gone be good on da line.

    Like

  16. adam

    So extremely happy for Kolton. Great news. And great that he heard on his birthday.

    I’m also really excited about what he could bring. This guy has won the starting tackle job twice and never played a down. He could be really great and we know he will value the opportunity that he has wrongly been denied for the past 3+ years.

    Like

  17. NewnanDawg

    Happy Freaking Birthday! And big thanks to Ron Courson for sticking with him and fighting for him through it all!

    Like

  18. Macallanlover

    Thrilled for him, hope he is able to achieve his dreams, free at last, free at last. The NCAA can suck it! They deserve nothing but continued ridicule for what they did to him. But he stayed the course. I don’t know what can of career he will have but I would bet on him to be a success in life. Let’s Roll KH.

    Like

  19. Keese

    Ron Couron is a real best in class individual. I will say GA’s support staff and trainers are the best at what they do.

    Congrats to Kolton and great timing. I think he’s learned his lesson taking the juice

    Like

  20. Cojones

    Kolton’s relief is felt by us all. Also the relief of the staff and all involved in his reinstatement. Let’s hope that Kolton can now recover from such a technocratic jailing and can find an unencumbered path to playing time. The scrutiny; the doubts; the toll it may have taken on his psyche for conditioning has not played out yet. Hopefully the microscope will be lifted such that he becomes a contributing member of the team. All hail Koltonand UGA.

    If selfishness is tolerable here, I hope all present and future recruits take note of the effort made in standing by our players when there is no great reason for doing so other than to do the correct thing for an individual’s future.

    Like

  21. MGW

    Coach Richt: “We don’t want to put any pressure on him like now he’s got to be a star. ”

    Translation: “He’s a damn stud!”

    Like

    • Per Chris Burnette, Kolton hadn’t been participating in workouts to the same degree through spring and early summer. This was intentional to try to reduce fat metabolism and serum levels of the metabolite in question. Nevertheless he attended meetings and surely is maxed out in the ole ‘mental reps’ department. Hopefully he can get in game shape quickly and without injury.

      Like

  22. Michael

    Thinking rhetorically…How long would this guy have lasted at Bama with Saban’s roster management techniques? So damn proud that we hung in there with this kid and stuck by him!

    Like