As much as we tend to focus on bad behavior and what seems like the inevitable exodus from Athens that follows, it’s worth remembering that sometimes it’s about good kids that screw up and deserve that second chance. (I know, I sound like Malzahn there.) Davin Bellamy sounds like one of those kids.
“It was my mistake and, the way I was raised by my mother, if you do something own up to it,” Bellamy said last week. “It was nobody else’s fault. I shouldn’t have put myself in that situation. So whatever punishment happened, I felt like it was something I needed to do without complaining. You usually complain when you think something wasn’t fair or wasn’t right. But I knew it was my mistake and it was going to lead to that. So there was no reason to complain about it.”
Slowly but surely, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete is starting to show the promise his coaches have seen in him since he arrived as a 4-star prospect. As a backup to entrenched starter Jordan Jenkins at the Jack position, Bellamy has recorded six tackles and a tackle for loss in three games.
“It definitely made me appreciate the game more, made me appreciate every snap,” Bellamy said. “I could have been kicked off the team, but Coach Richt decided to give me another chance. So every time I’m out there playing, I’m reminding him and thanking him for giving me that second chance.”
Admittedly, there’s a fine line to tread about when it’s right to give someone that opportunity. And the line should be more about reading a player’s character than his on the field contributions.
Get The Picture 
Refreshing to say the least.
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Dude’s a beast too. Hope to see him in the lineup more against Arky where we’ll need more beef at all levels of the D.
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He has the size of Shawn Taylor (Hurricane/Redskins). Wonder if he can play safety? Taylor sure could..
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I hope Bellamy’s verbalized attitude about his DUI is one of the reasons he is still at Georgia.
When you make a grown up mistake, its helpful to act like a grown up when dealing with the consequences.
Hopefully Bellamy will be an asset off the field, too, acting like grown man, which could have been of benefit to some of his former teammates.
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Always good to see the intent of the punishment work.
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Good for him! I hope he succeeds as a player and a student. With that attitude, he will. Too bad some of the others don’t feel this way. And society in general. Pity.
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The question is, how do we assemble a team of 85 recruits that can make it from signing day to the end of the season. The scale of attrition is breathtaking. The simple math says we need to sign (at least) the maximum every year. That’s a lot of recruiting and a lot of resources expended to keeping the roster full. And while recruiting at such a high level may be possible, it’s not easy. Considering all that, I think CMR & Co would benefit by finding more ways to rehabilitate/retain players once they are on campus. The attrition turnstile has been going on for so long and at such a level that it’s fair to question what’s being done to address the problem.
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Excellent question Cobb. Not very many hits Bluto. How do you decide what to post about and what drives hits? IDK. I’ve often sat around listening as coaches discussed this. One statement made by an award winning HS coach… ” you can take the kid out of the hood … but you can’t always take the hood out of the kid.” Yikes. But that’s true ..No? Ivey? feel free to chime in, cause this subject could use the stroke of your pen. There is the occasional Arron Murray but by and large the largest number of our college athletes aren’t ready for the rigors or college study. They are from homes of modest means located in pretty tough neighborhoods. They get second chances time and time and time again. Not that kids don’t need a second chance mind you. But schools need those second chances to enhance that won/loss record any way they can. Adams did well supplementing UGa through Athletics. He threw that occasional graduation party and enjoyed his penthouse in Atlanta. Man… some coins dropped on furnishing that spot.
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R u channelling Will Trane?
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…If you follow me I swear Ima save the pandas from extinction. ;’)
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