I was prepared to move on at the blog – really, I’ve vented and there’s not much more to be said – but then Jeff Schultz found it necessary to weigh in with this turd of a column. So it turns out I’ve got more.
Yeah, he starts out with the obligatory “okay, we all know the NCAA sucks”, but his heart’s not in it.
Here’s the reality. Todd Gurley is a supremely talented football player. However, his two primary opportunities for being paid for his services both happen to be cartels that operate in a way to depress labor costs, the NFL legally and the NCAA in violation of federal antitrust laws, to make billions and millions in profit. (Both also receive government subsidies that add handsomely to the bottom line, but that’s a complaint for another post.)
But, If Gurley guilty, blame him, not NCAA.
That’s not all. Gurley’s astonishing skills have caught the public’s attention. If he were anywhere other than in college athletics, just like any other American, he’d be able to market his name and likeness for whatever Nike or anyone else was willing to pay him. Solely because of the NCAA’s atavistic refusal to share income with its student-athletes, something that’s going to be prohibited in the near future, Gurley can’t. In the meantime, Gurley, just like every other observer of the college sports scene, has seen the half-assed ways the NCAA has chosen to enforce its amateurism rules in the cases of Manziel and Newton.
But, If Gurley guilty, blame him, not NCAA.
That’s not the most absurd part of this farce. Four hundred dollars. That’s the amount suggested that Gurley was paid for whatever he delivered. Four hundred dollars is less than what he would receive if Georgia compensated him for the full cost of attendance, something that’s been promised by the president of the NCAA and the commissioners of all five power conferences. They’ve got their autonomy; they just haven’t delivered. Be patient, though, Todd. I’m sure that’s coming any day now.
In a fair world… no, check that, in a world in which the NCAA and its member institutions merely avoided behaving in ways that violated federal law as have already been determined in court, Todd Gurley wouldn’t have been tempted to risk his eligibility for four hundred dollars. Because he would have cashed a check every year from EA Sports and another check from the school or the conference to compensate him for his likeness being used in broadcasts.
But, If Gurley guilty, blame him, not NCAA.
Well, fuck me. That’s ridiculous. And shame on any of you who think Schultz is right.
Get The Picture 
I’m glad I don’t have a subscription so I can’t read it. Thanks for suffering that horseshit for me!
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What pisses me off more than anything.. is it looks like this toolbar autograph dealer is motivated to rat Gurley out because he was spurned by him. What other motivation could this douchebag have? I hope we find out who he his and his career is wrecked for preying on Guys like Gurley. I’m not going to absolve Todd completely of his responsibility in this.. any player that does this kind of thing exposes the team to a risk.. but it’s hard to be mad at Todd over rules that are just archaic and stupid.
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“What other motivation could this douchebag have?”
Allegedly, he’s a Gator…
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Shocking.
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Looks like they have tracked a name down over at SBNation. Check the comments section towards the bottom.
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/10/9/6954229/todd-gurley-suspended-autographs-email
This guy is going to have to leave the state.
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Not seeing it.
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And the controversy can help him drive up the cost of his Ebay items
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I want this guy found out. You dont get to take advantage of a kid like that, turn around and rat him out, and stay anonymous. His business dealings and personal life should have to suffer just like Todds has.
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Comment removed by administrator.
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Comment removed by administrator.
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http://georgia.247sports.com/Reply/tenndawg4life-Reply-31905160
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Chubb and Douglas. Lets go Dogs Fuck Jeff Schulz
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Awesome!
Yes, fuck him.
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Well said Senator.
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Not reading that clowns column but rules are rules even if you don’t agree with them.
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I understand your point and I cannot disagree. My complaint is that the rule, which was found to violate the Sherman Act, is a bad rule. The NCAA, the conferences and the schools have, over time, created a billion dollar industry that generates wealth for every significant participant except the ones we pay admission to see. No one sends a check to the Hartman Fund in order to buy season tickets to watch McGarity dictate memos or Cleary fill ticket orders. Yet our UGAA wants to give fund managers more in commissions on its savings funds than it provides to the players whose efforts they market.
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Hitler had rules, too…
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Oh for God’s sake.
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Wow. Itr’s only 8:02, but Godwin’s Law is out in full force.
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In some cases, the shoe fits.
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I was thinking of the law where a logical argument is diminished by a fraction each time that the f-bomb is dropped in a conversation. I think this blog for the first time is nearing critical mass.
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That can only mean it’s time for a song
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“Rules are rules” is a stupid mantra. The NCAA is not God or the government. The rules they create are just made up to further some archaic agenda or to make sure all money flows through them to “prevent corruption and someone taking advantage of these kids.” When they are determined to be illegal, they will have to change them, and then what? If you already know the rule is illegal, why would you punish yourself pre – emptively when the NCAA wants to be involved with this case like they want ebola. “Rules are rules” is for the simple-minded. Hiding behind a farce of an organization that has been proven to be wrongfully prohibiting these kids from receiving what they have earned shows the lowest of cognitive abilities. Rules are rules… There should be a rule that some people are too stupid to live.
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This argument is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter that the rule is terrible. It doesn’t matter that the enforcement is always done selectively. The fact of the matter is Todd was told in no uncertain terms, do not sell autographs or game worn memorabilia or you will violate NCAA regs. It’s on him, like it or not. His selfish action has affected his teammates and the special moments he could have created the next two months are lost.
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Thanks for proving the point. Some people are just sheep that deserve people like Mark Emmert dictating rules they must live by.
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I agree that Gurley is 100% at fault and shoulders the majority of the blame. Our weak, piddling, ovary filled atheletic department and head coach hold a portion of the blame as well for being spineless. That being said, Todd Gurley has placed our AD, HC and university in a position to display their spineless nature.
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Ditto on the spines. The NCAA is a toothless castrated version of itself and I doubt the butt smear administration will do anything but lay down prostrate to them
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So Gurley is 100% at fault and everyone else is also at fault.
I don’t think you understand percentages very well.
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Adjust your snarkometer.
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Absolutely. I have been a season ticket holder for over 20 years. This is the final stupid and spineless act for me. They will not get another dollar from me.
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I’m giving it time for clarity and to make sure it is not an emotional decision, but I am glad I haven’t yet made my donation this year.
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I share your views on the NCAA. If Gurley did accept money he knew he was putting his playing status at risk for some amount of money. That also means he is putting his team at risk by him not being available to play and there is some selfishness in that choice. Hopefully the investigation will go quickly and it will be a johinne FB type penalty. My gut says a watergate investigation that drags on til Nov. over a small amount of evidence.
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I was hoping that limp dick kid who reported being hit by TGII got what was coming to him… But this Rome, GA memorabilia dealer is going to need federal protection if his name ever gets published.
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There are several people I know here in Floyd County that won’t be real happy with him…
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You realize that you can think the rule stinks and Gurley is still to blame, right? I mean, I know you’re super hurt as a fan by this, and that’s the real tragedy, but surely you can appreciate other reasonable opinions, right?
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I find it regrettable that Gurley did what he did. Do I blame him, especially in the context of everything that’s happened in the last 24 months? Sorry, no.
By the way, explain to me how not holding the NCAA accountable is reasonable.
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Accountable for what? Being a generally ineffectual body who can’t enforce their rules half the time? For profiting on football when players can’t in college? These are constant criticisms you can make of the NCAA. It doesn’t change the fact that Gurley knowingly broke a rule that could jeopardize his status as a player for UGA. Now it has. The NCAA’s problems do not absolve Gurley of blame, however much you like him.
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You don’t get it – the NCAA broke the fucking law. As far as I’m concerned, that’s where recriminations, if they’re necessary, should start.
And if you think my anger over this is all about Todd Gurley, you must not have been reading this blog during the past offseason.
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Why? I know your cause celebre is the NCAA and player compensation. It doesn’t change the fact that Gurley knowingly violated a currently valid rule. The fact that the rule may not exist anymore in 5 years or even 5 months does not change anything about his culpability.
As far as thinking this is all about Gurley, no I don’t think your opinion is entirely about that. Your complete outrage is, though.
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Your definition of ‘valid’ and my definition of ‘valid’ aren’t the same.
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Maybe so. But, in this circumstance, BR’s definition of “valid” is the operative one insofar as the NCAA and the UGA athletic department are concerned. Everything else is hurt feelings and frustration (even if they are warranted to an extent).
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+10000000000000000000000000000000
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So, the courts have declared the rule illegal, the schools and the NCAA have acknowledged that the rule will be changed, but it’s still the kids fault that they’re not patiently abiding by the illegal rule. Sounds about right. Mark Emmett appreciates for deference to his abused authority.
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If only he could earn some money and hire a representative with expertise in this area to assist him…oh wait, that’s against the rules, too. Derp.
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Its not a “valid” rule. It is against FEDERAL LAW. In other words BECAUSE it violates FEDERAL LAW, it is INVALID.
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The NCAA is appealing the ruling. It is not settled that it violates federal law yet, though I think the decision will ultimately be upheld.
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You would have made a hell of a good prison camp guard.
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The Nazi references are really making the rounds.
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IF the shoe fits.
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It almost never fits, but go ahead and blow this way the fuck out of proportion if it gets you through the night.
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jesus, dude
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I have way more contempt for the NCAA than you give me credit for.
Evidently, as long as the NCAA has a rule on the books, it can behave as unfairly as it likes and walk away blameless in your eyes.
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Blame them for being capricious all you like. Gurley still did something blameworthy.
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You think a law or rule is unjust? Fine, violate it. But you must accept the consequences for violating that rule. Don’t want to blame Gurley? Fine, don’t; just as long as you also don’t blame UGA for suspending him or get aggrevated because he’s not able to play. Because that’s the consequence.
If Gurley said, “This rule is B.S., it’s illegal, I’m not going to sit idly by and waste my value, so I’m going to sell my autographs,” then fine. If he did it understanding that he would be placing himself above his team, if he did it understanding that he would disappoint fans, coaches, students, everyone at UGA, fine. These are choices a man is entitled to make. If if he makes that choice, we are entitled to our disappointment and frustration as well–with him, with the rule, with everything.
Yes, let’s demand change. Yes, let’s stand up for our guy. And yes too, let’s be strong enough to say: We accept the consequences for violating this rule, at least until the rule is changed.
If what we have is a person who broke the rule believing he wouldn’t be caught, then I blame him for being dense. I blame him for letting someone take a picture, for letting someone video it. Because the bigger the star, the more likely it is that you’re going to get caught.
I’m hopeful that this turns out to be a small issue, a precautionary measure, and that Gurley didn’t actually do the things he’s accused of. I’m open to that possibility–naive though that may be. If he didn’t, let’s hope it gets cleared up as soon as possible, and still hope the rule changes. And if he did, then I’m going to “blame Gurley” for choosing himself over his team, his school, and the fans (from whom the value for his signature/persona derives–let’s not forget he is, at bottom, an entertainer and it’s our eyes and dollars that he attracts). I’ll also blame the NCAA for a stupid rule that denied Gurley, and the rest of us, the pleasure of watching him play and the benefits he would bring for doing so. Ultimately though, it’s a person that breaks the rule–right or wrong.
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Your logic isn’t consistent. You’re saying that the NCAA is unfair, unjust, and operating illegally, but they still have the moral high ground. Bullshit.
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“the NCAA is unfair, unjust, and operating illegally, but they still have the moral high ground.” Uhh, no, I didn’t say anything like that. I did say that you have to suffer the consequences until you get things worked out on the back end to change the law (e.g., “And yes too, let’s be strong enough to say: We accept the consequences for violating this rule, at least until the rule is changed.”).
For another example of this principle, MLK went to jail (he wrote a nice letter in jail once) not because the State of Alabama had “the moral high ground,” but because he believed it was his moral responsibility to break an unjust law. And being punished for breaking that law would put the spotlight on the wrongs that were being done in the name of that unjust law. And things changed–but not till after he’d been imprisoned (far worse a punishment than being indefinitely suspended from collegiate play).
We’re hardly talking the same level of injustice here, but I stand by the analogy. If you believe a rule is wrong, you can choose to break it. And if you get caught, the rulemaker will punish you for it until the rule is no longer there. Not bullshit–reality. But thanks for your lesson in logic…
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By accepting consequences, you are tacitly accepting the authority of the NCAA to determine how college athletes should live their lives. I don’t recognize that authority. The best reform possible for the NCAA would be complete dismantling
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+1
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I’m in agreement with your sentiment, here. And I’m a 100% free market guy who wholeheartedly agrees with the charges of collusion the Senator brings.
However, until all the Bulldog players strike as a unit, or the football dept, or the university, make a decision to waive the NCAA rules for our program due to a belief that they violate federal law, then Gurley knew that the cost of playing college ball in the current environment was to forego payments for his signature. In fact, he made a tacit or explicit agreement with his teammates and school not to do so, just as Murray did. It’s less breaking the NCAA rule than breaking the social contract he had with his teammates and to a much, much lesser degree the fans that bothers me most.
The fans / students do contribute attention and money to the program, and so he is indeed somewhat morally accountable to us, as well – regardless of where a free market scenario might take him. At this moment in time he’s a Georgia Bulldog and that has baggage – fans and rules and teammates and everything that goes with it – and one ought not bring this kind of attention on the program unless he’s willing to step off the team out of principle or conscience.
The question of the validity of the rule – for NCAA or internally at UGA is fairly easily decided. If the rule is clearly settled as illegal, or even socially acceptable to break (such as speeding), would Gurley have felt comfortable telling CMR he was making a little money on the side? Would he have set up a website and sold his own merch? No. So regardless of the NCAA, the football program to which he’s pledged his allegiance, and the boss of that football program, seem to be pretty clear on the rules.
We all labor under unfair systems at times, but weighing the benefits to yourself versus the damage to those around you often prevents us from storming out of jobs or quitting civic organizations or disowning our children. Sometimes its our duty to swallow it and ignore the personal injury to ourselves because our families or organizations need us to do so, and in Gurley’s case perhaps he might have looked at his athletic ability (that he’s surely worked like a demon to cultivate) as a blessing that could not be fully cashed in until he turned pro, rather than a resource he was prohibited from capitallizing on in college.
Gurley is young. It’s his football team and not his family. It’s harder to be famous and broke than simply broke, and I do think the system he’s working in is a pretty lousy one. So personally, I don’t find much reason or right to be angry with the kid – I’m just a little disappointed.
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LOL at Cosmic Dawg and I writing in many ways the same post about the same time (yours wasn’t there when I started my missive!)…
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I just read yours and laughed as well.
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I’m not angry with him. It’s a pretty minor mistake, and he seems like a mostly good kid. I just think he is mostly to blame for this situation. The guy who paid him for the autographs is a scumbag. The NCAA is frustrating, incompetent and unfair. The Georgia administration is what it is. I am not going to fault them for abiding by the rules, though I’m sympathetic to people who want them to behave more like A&M or Auburn. In the end, Gurley was the one who made the decision to sign the stuff for the scumbag, which opened him up to the NCAA’s capricious rule.
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And I think you would at least allow that the player is at least partially responsible if it weren’t Gurley.
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Agreed. I admire the Senator entirely. And he and I are on the same page in re: the NCAA. But, if Gurley did indeed sign those autographs in exchange for cash, I doubt he did it out of principle or for the sake of civil disobedience of something.
On the other hand, if that was his mindset after all then so be it. The entire team will feel the repercussions for as long as this goes on.
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Yes, I blame Gurley. The rules are clear and transparent. You either live by the rules or create your entity with its own rules. This isn’t about fairness and it’s ridiculous that we aren’t placing more blame on Gurley.
Rules aren’t meant to be debated or bent. They are meant to be followed and consequences exist if they are borken. If you don’t agree with the rules, play another game.
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Fairness. Transparency. Are we still talking about the NCAA?
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I hold them both responsible. Just because the rules are old and broken doesn’t mean you can have a blatant disregard for them and not expect to pay the consequences when you get caught. The rule ducks but Gurley just let his team down. All he had to do was wait till after the bowl game and he could sign and sell anything he wants
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TG traded something of incalculable value for him and his teammates for $400, doing something that carries a high degree of risk of getting caught. Four hundred dollars. He’s a year away from a multi million-dollar contract. Yes, the NCAA is evil, capricious, self-serving and a scofflaw. But if I’m on TG’s team – and I’m not – I’m not thinking about the NCAA. I’m thinking about how stupid the trade was. I think we all care about these kids to some extent. Same goes for Mark Richt and his staff, who I believe try to do things the right way. TG let everyone down, and he can’t blame THAT on the NCAA. It was a stupid, selfish thing to do. There are no good guys in this scenario.
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Douglas gets more carries. Mason has to put team on his shoulders. 50% or more of our production is sidelined. Bobo has to adjust game plan on the fly with a smaller playbook. Team is angry internally and distracted. Richt has to coach ’em up mentally. On the road. Probably for the SEC East title. Early start. Our D. Fans in turmoil.
I always try to be an optimist about the Dawgs…but I got nothing for this.
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I have a feeling the Dawgs will beat the ever living shit out of Missouri this weekend but this is still a Mark Richt coached team so I wouldn’t bet on it.
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As has been intoned on this blawg on many an occasion: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Peal Harbor?”
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I am not speaking for the Senator but to me it is not the “blame Gurley” part that pisses me off it is the “Not the NCAA” part. That makes me livid, especially when that clown does “blame” the NCAA when blaming the NCAA meets his agenda.
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I am not worried. AD McMilquetoast “might have something to say on the matter sometime next week.”
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McGarity’s problem is that he doesn’t want players to be compensated anymore than the next AD does. But if he comes out and says compliance with the NCAA rule is the right thing to do, he risks being eviscerated by the fan base.
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Why should he care about that? The SEC Network teat will make more than enough sweet sweet milk to cover any losses in athletic dept revenue and ticket priority gifts.
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What do you expect McGarity to say? It’s an honest question. How would you have liked to see him respond?
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I don’t expect anything from McGarity.
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If I were Gurley, I’d have done the same thing. It’s my signature, my effort and my talents that are the reason people would pay me for an autograph. Fuck the NCAA. He should’ve demanded more money was his only mistake.
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And never put a UGA uniform again, take the money and the hell with all of it.
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I blame the spineless cowards in our athletic department.
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Love my Dawgs and love watching Gurley, but if this is all true and he did take the money, then it is HIS fault and no one else. He knew the rules.
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I understand Gurley’s free will and all and he did not have to sell anything. I understand you assigning fault to him, but the “no one else” part is inconsistent with your “rules are rules and should never be broken” indignation. The Sherman Antitrust Act is the law of the land. A court ruled that the NCAA rules capping the amount Gurley can sell his name, likeness and image at $0.00 violates the Sherman Act. The NCAA broke the law. Why is that okay?
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So your argument is “what is good for the goose is good for the gander?” The rules stink, and it is unfair, but they are clear and currently apply.
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No. Your argument is that the NCAA can be excused for breaking the law, but Gurley cannot be excused for failing to abide by an illegal rule. Mark Emmett appreciates your point of view
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+1
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How about a little blame for this fuck with the video? He basically entrapped Gurley and now is trying to ruin his career. Jesus, I hope this little fuckweasel’s boss is a Dawg fan.
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How about a little blame for this fuck with the video? He basically entrapped Gurley and now is trying to ruin his COLLEGE career.
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Atavistic. That is why I love this blog. Well done, Senator.
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So, UGA has a few highly trained and intelligent Attorneys on Staff over on north campus in that Lumpkin rotunda. Mcmilquetoast’s boss also has some legal training as well.
Time for Mcmilquetoast to stop playing the baseline and go to a serve, volley, and attack the net game. Fly somebody with a bar license and a ticket to appear in Federal court out to see Judge Wilken and file an injunction.
The NCAA be damned.
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It’s cold and windy and lonely up here on the high road. Especially watching the Cams & Johnny’s having all the fun.
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This…….. 😦
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Well done, Senator
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Lawyer types, answer me this…Is there some grounds for a lawsuit against this guy for knowingly and purposely causing UGA and it’s fans not only emotional grief, but monetary loss? I’m sure if Gurley was a minor, the scumbag might be charged with harming him. But thousands of ticket holders and UGA are hurt by someone who purposely inticed Gurley to break rules….
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Nope.
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Would there be anything more ironic than the UGA Athletic Department suing this guy for tortious interference because he caused them an economic injury?
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Nope.
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There is a very large part of me that hopes Gurley quits the team in protest and that our season completely implodes. That is what the program deserves for this self-investigating, proactively suspending bullshit.
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Or the entire team refuses to take the field in protest. Punch the cash cow right in the mouth. No TV ratings, no fan “experience”, no endless commercial breaks. Advertisers and ESPN upset. It would be glorious
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CPADawg had a great, detailed plan of how they should do it last night. Unfortunately, this won’t happen. Glorious it would be.
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Completely agree. Fuck Georgia football. If I had a son who was being recruited it’s the last program I’d want him to attend.
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I agree with the Senator in this. My beef is the fact that the pussies at B-M are just going to roll over and take what ever the NCAA gives us. There is precident with Johnny Fooseball last year but rather than using that to fight back we preemtively suspend our best player right before the biggest game of the year to date. Allegedly he signed stuff in the Spring and it was reported on 9/30. If this is all true we’ll have to forfeit every game this season anyway so what difference does it make if he plays Saturday or not.
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Gurleygate may well be McGarity’s version of Pantygate…
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The NCAA can’t DO ANYTHING! Pushing the issue here only fast-tracks the inevitable outcome of players getting paid. They’re an empty shell right now and the house of cards is about to fall down.
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I’m in full agreement with brother Bluto. And I, for one, fully support Gurley. Everybody is paid handsomely except the amazing player we all want to see.
And why CMR doesn’t get behind Gurley is unforgivable. Through his contract and endorsements CMR probably gets half-a-million per game. Gurley gets nothing!
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We don’t really know what Richt is doing.
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I can tell you what he’s doing…. nothing. Gurley gets f-ked and CMR stands by and does absolutely nothing. He didn’t do shit to help AJ and he won’t do shit for Gurley. We lose 5 again, and he gets a f-king raise.
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Yeah you have no clue what Richt is doing. Gurley broke the rules. Perhaps Coach Richt is getting behind the OTHER 84 players who did not break the rules. We have a game to play Saturday. Perhaps Coach Richt is getting his TEAM ready for that. Perhaps you don’t speak on something you know nothing about.
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Ginny so glad a voice of reason is here.
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Whoa… slow down Brother Cobb. Isn’t 1/2 mil a game 6 mil? CMR is saying/doing what he is allowed to. What happens with Gurley is out of his hands right now is it not? I think it best to find out just how deep and what kind of hole Gurley is in before deciding how best to extract him/Georgia from it. Ginny is right! We best saddle up. We got a plane to catch and an early game tomorrow. Beating Missouri and “Lucky Lefty” Pinkel just got more important. Arky is up next and they plan on running the ball. We need a plan!
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No, half a mil a game = $500,000 x 12 = $6 million. I think that’s a fair estimate considering contract, incentives, percs, endorsements, etc.
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How is Schultz wrong? He’s right in saying the rules are absurd, but there still the rules. I think marijuana laws are absurd, but if I get caught with weed, I’m getting into trouble. That’s the way it works. I’m more upset at how stupid Gurley—and AJ Green, for that matter—was in handling this. Deny, deny, deny. The NCAA and UGA can subpoena shit. Make them prove money was changed hands. I don’t understand why our Admins are so hell bent of screwing our team over. Make it clear the only way UGA/Gurley gets in trouble is if something can be proven.
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You might as well say the same thing about the NCAA – i.e., antitrust laws are absurd, but they’re still the law.
Gurley’s predicament was manufactured by a world he doesn’t control. If only his lawyers advising him when he signed the LOI… oh, wait.
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Again, I’m not saying the rules aren’t terrible. Of course they are. But that doesn’t change the fact he’s out and now UGA is screwed. How can you not see that? He knew what he was doing. He knew it was against the rules, and since he wasn’t standing up on the table championing his cause, we have to assume he understood if he got caught there would be issues.
So again, while I hate the rules and I think it’s hypocritical, THEY’RE STILL THE FUCKING RULES. So we can use this as another reason why the NCAA is a joke, but that won’t change that UGA is done (again).
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It’s not that the rules are terrible. It’s that the NCAA doesn’t deserve a pass.
As for what Gurley knew, what lesson should he take from what happened to Manziel last year?
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He should have not admitted to a god damn thing. That’s the lesson. The same lesson he should have learned (and UGA should have taught) post-AJ Green. The NCAA is the most powerless organization in sports. They can do nothing unless you let them. UGAs policy needs to be that of AUB and Bama: STFU and make the NCAA prove something.
And yes, the NCAA does deserve shit, but that doesn’t change that Gurley knew he’d get in trouble if this got out. He has to shoulder some blame. I know you’re all about bashing the NCAA, but the rules are clear, no matter how stupid they are. Gurley gambled and the team lost, and that sucks.
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We don’t know that Gurley has admitted to anything, do we? What we know is that a dealer approached the school. If I’m Georgia, I don’t ask Gurley a damned thing.
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As much as I bang on UGAs (admittedly terrible) Admin, I refuse to believe they would suspend Gurley without proof or an admission of guilt.
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It’s called an abundance of caution.
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I’d love for that to be the case, but I don’t see it. If it in fact turns out to be the case, McGarrity needs his ass fired.
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I’m not sure an injection of fresh blood in the athletic department would be a bad thing anyway.
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You better believe they would. I have seen it.
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That’s the true irony of this whole story. Our honesty regarding this dishonest situation will ultimately kill us.
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To not say $h!t and make the NCAA prove it!
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The JM situation says you can break the rules if you’re shrewd about it because the enforcement sucks and you can lie your way out of it. There is no “lesson” to be learned if you’re trying to be a good kid.
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Well the NAZI’s (invoking Godwins rule) had f’ing rules; the NCAA “rules” VIOLATE FEDERAL LAW. Which one is valid? FEDERAL LAW or some two bit NCAA rule?
The rules are ILLEGAL.
Last time I checked I don’t follow ILLEGAL rules.
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So if you had run into Gurley as he was about to walk into a paid signing session, you’d have told him to go for it and the hell with the consequences. The risk of NCAA sanctions is worth the risk of defying this likely-illegal rule?
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Its called free enterprise. I would have him sign them, give them to me and make sure he got paid. Yep.
There is a law on the books in SCar. that states you can beat your wife on the steps of the the county courthouse on Sunday’s after Church; so do you do this? its not illegal.
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Breaking the rule is not the issue. The issue is that he knew breaking the rule would have consequences for his teammates and school.
One way to consider the ethics of breaking a bad law/rule is whether or not you’re doing it for your own satisfaction at the expense of others (your wife or teammates), at the expense of nobody (speeding), or at your own expense for the good of others (civil rights protesters).
I feel this falls into the first category.
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Gurley does own his world. Sorry.
He has free will to either play a game with stupid rules or join/create a new game. Plus, this isn’t about fairness. You’re taking this way too personally because the rules are extremely clear. Don’t get paid while you are playing college football.
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Are there not two different issues at play? One is whether the NCAA should compensate players. Another is whether the player can profit from his own likeness. If the NCAA compensates players, or rather the member schools agree to do so, do we expect the level of compensation will be up to the school? Maybe. The “Have’s” probably wouldn’t mind that. But at some point the compensation paid by schools to players will level out, either by the market or by a ‘rule’. The point is: if a kid can get 2k to go to Ohio State or 2k to go to Michigan, then the 2k is no longer a motivating factor. It is a constant. So the schools paying the players won’t stop players from taking side benefits unless you believe the amount of compensation they get is going to be the perfect sum that prevents folks from ever wanting more.
That takes you to the ‘profit from my likeness’ argument. If Gurley was getting paid, would he still want 400 bucks on the side? Don’t know. Maybe. But the argument about how only the stars would really have this side market, and allowing it to exist isn’t a big deal, begins too late in the equation. While it is true folks would pay for a Gurley autograph or photo op while likely passing on one with Brian Evans, what about ‘profiting from their likeness’ when they are graduating seniors from high school? What about if I’m a wealthy booster who just wants to ‘collect’ the autographs of every signing class for the Gators, and I’m willing to pay each signee 5k for their signature on my big Gator Poster I have in my house, waiting to get framed. I don’t care who Florida signs, I just like to collect things and I want those kids’ signatures for my collection. Those kids should profit from their likeness, yes? Or do they have to wait to become stars before they profit? The problem is obvious in this context. Or maybe I should say the ‘issue’ is obvious, because perhaps it isn’t a problem if a collector wants to collect the signatures of each signing class.
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It will certainly open up a can of worms where the highest bidder for your autograph decides where you go on signing day.
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I’m sure they are all dancing over at the AJC. They want to make Gurley and UGA seem like horrible, horrible people. However, we are not the ones have have been shown to be breaking rules that would actually provide a competitive advantage. Don’t seem to see many stories about Tech’s issue with the NCAA.
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Amen
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Also, Mizzou just got the f’in east served up on a platter again. SC went full retard this season, Tenn still sucks, UF lost the only hope they had at QB, we just lost 95% of our offense, and UK is still UK and Vandy was out when Franklin left.
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There used to be a law that held a husband accountable for any action his wife took. This carpet bagging crap by the NCAA is about as logical and about as fair…
Don’t hand me ‘Gurley’ is to blame crap. He’s contributorialy tangled in an illegal overreaching unjust NCAA and its member organizations avaricial web.
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Good God that was complicating and interesting to read!
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Just as a slight correction, I believe Vandy was out when Dan McGugin left. In 1935.
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Russ Tanner “I have personally seen players receive $100 bills after games” . He doesn’t blame Gurley.
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Russ also feels that the swimming situation has an impact on this situation in terms of the “lack of institutional control”.
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I totally get it, but I don’t get it, Senator.
It’s a bad rule and it may even be against the law as you say. But here’s my equivalent:
Local police ‘can’t’ give you a ticket unless you’re 10 miles over the speed limit. But, suppose one stops you going 42 in a 35 on a road that all your friends tell you, “Oh, they never ticket anyone from speeding there. I speed there all the time!” And, the ridiculousness of it is it’s a straight country road with no schools or neighborhoods nearby. It OUGHT to be a 55. But it’s 35. You get a ticket. It’s stupid. You’re not harming anyone. You go to court and even get out of the ticket. But it cost you time, maybe even some money with a day away from work. Still, the surefire way to avoid the ticket in the first place is to go 35 or below, which is what the sign said in the first place.
The question becomes, and it’s a deep ethical one, is how do you go about changing a bad rule. There are other ways than breaking them. I think that’s what O’Bannon is trying to do. It’s all stupid, but, but, but, but…if true, Todd knew he was putting his eligibility and team at risk. Is that worth it to ‘get a rule changed’? Is that the best way to go about it? I said, “Leave it to UGA for this to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back with some of these NCAA hypocrisies.” I would rather Todd had the wherewithal to find another way. It’s a stupid rule, but there are thousands upon thousands NOT doing this, and it’s disappointing that our star player couldn’t be one of those. That’s what’s frustrating.
There’s plenty of blame to go around. I don’t like the way we’ve handled this. I don’t like the rule. And I don’t like that Todd got himself in this situation. I love, love, love #3, but I can’t completely absolve him here. We’ve had a bunch of star players who didn’t get themselves in this situation.
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But your analogy would include the fact that a court ruled that the 35mph limit should be a 55mph zone and that the last guy to get a ticket there was fined $1. Given that, you still think the speeder should accept a hefty ticket?I don’t.
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I didn’t realize I should be ashamed for thinking personal responsibility is important. Thanks for enlightening me, Senator.
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If you want to go there this is probably the best thing to ever happen to Todd Gurley. He can now tell UGA to kiss his butt and start training in relative safety for the combine. I bet Latimore wishes he had been caught.
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I believe that Gurley made a choice to do those things and he now has to face the consequences.
I also believe that the NCAA rule was idiotic. Even if it was a good rule, the NCAA has undermined it with arbitrary inconsistent enforcement. After Cam’s one practice suspension and Manziel’s pantomime check signings, they’ve shown exactly where their priorities lie where money vs enforcement are concerned.
Finally, I believe that our HC and athletic administrators are thinking more about pun-ISH-ing a young man that did what they told him not to do rather than acknowledging that he never should have been told not to do that thing to begin with.
So yes, I believe that Gurley is responsible. But I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at the NCAA for being a worthless money-grubbing exploitative organization who should have been torn apart and burned a long time ago and I’m disgusted with the athletic administration who’s more worried about their own petty faces than they are the fanbase that supports them.
Personal responsibility is one thing. Institutional injustice is another. They can exist at the same time and I can acknowledge both while feeling that one is more to blame for a particular situation.
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Well, personal responsibility for athletes is certainly important. For, bureaucrats, not so much. I like the way you think.
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I’d love to see every college football player in the country set up tables just outside of campus and sell stuff this week. Let enough be suspended that there are no game this weekend…or next, or untill they have all served their suspension. This “rule” would dissappear in one day.
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I actually kinda like this too. Mayhem…..LOVE IT!
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The NCAA is a cartel on its last breath. They’re done and shit like this is the main reason why.
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And here’s the guy who’s thought to be “the source.”
https://www.facebook.com/doug.maxey.9
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If him, he looks the part
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Look at this guy, him and his wife run several eBay stores selling Gurley merchandise. Probably the same people trying to sell tmz a tape.
https://fbcdn-photos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-0/529926_298991646841700_813220320_n.jpg?oh=0da091dfe150e22acc27edf11cde77b2&oe=54C82F9A&gda=1420556324_004d6fd750763f22441efd019906167e
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Massive, stand together protest. Every player needs to go out and openly break this rule…at the same time. That’s the immediate answer.
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At least Gurley put Money, and not weed, above his teammates.
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I’m sorry but “following the rules” is not some moral imperative. I’d even go as far to argue that the moral imperative is to break bad rules.
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^^^^This.^^^^
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Amen. Anti-labor cartel rules that aren’t widely enforced lack any moral backing, and arguably aren’t even “rules.”
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Anyone who’s followed my comments knows that I am vehemently in support of athletes getting paid. That being said Gurley knew the rule and shouldn’t have put his team at risk and for that he’s to blame. Yes it’s a stupid rule but you can still get nailed for it especially considering who your athletic administration is. At the very least Gurley should’ve demanded more $$$ given that fair compensation for such a risk is so much higher than $400.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. Seriously, fuck you Butts mehre. I’ve always despised the way you proactively handicap our program, your nepotism, & overall bumbling incompetence but this is a new low, which is saying something. The fact that you’ve simultaneously thrown our star running back under the bus, blown up our season, and laid prostrate to a corrupt and toothless organization and oh by the way made the worst strategic decision possible with zero upside and a locked in major downside is beyond infuriating to this alumnus. If you guys were a public company, you’d have been targeted by activists investors long ago and the board down to the c suite would’ve probably been fired now. You guys are that bad at your job.
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Nice. Your tone captures my own anger and frustration towards these back-patting, sanctimonious fools.
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3625 Packhorse Run
Marietta, GA 30066-4694
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I didn’t read Schultz’s column and won’t.
I will say the following:
I’m not buying the “economic justice” and “fairness” propaganda swill from the left. It’s not like these rules popped into place last year. Gurley knew the rules and he either willingly violated them or was somehow bamboozled by a “Slick Willie”. In either case, the team, coaches, students and fans are suffering for his actions – if they are PROVEN true.
In general, there’s very good reasons for the separation of amateur and professional athletics. Money in amateur athletics is the mother of all corruption, being at the top of the reason list. If you want to establish some form of ” social fairness/justice” for under privileged athletes – no problem. Establish a new semi-professional football organization, where kids don’t have to pretend to be student athletes. They can get paid a wage, improve their skills and then go on to the NFL. However, make no mistake… Todd Gurley is PAID by UGA in the form of full scholarship that’s worth in excess of $250K, when you throw in all the tuition, books, food, transportation, free medical care et. al., that the average student has to pay out of pocket.
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Horseshit. So if you’re a kickass salesperson for your company and you and your other kickass saleperson co-workers are all making millions and millions of money for your company, you’re going to be satisfied to sit back and make $250K and let the board of directors/owners/management all take home the money you generate?
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I prefer Bullshit but either way he’s full of it.
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David, your analogy is a straw man that doesn’t apply. Try again, next time with a little less class warfare rhetoric!
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How about this.
Gurley wears #3 and shows up in a lot of highlight reels. He puts the G front and center and gives people a reason to talk about both Georgia and College Football, thereby making money for the folks who live off of such things.
Another guy to wear #3 was named Bryan Evans. He was also in a lot of highlight reels, but it was always in the background of the other team’s highlights as he got caught out of position and burned for touchdown after touchdown.
Gurley receives the same compensation that Evans received, a partially-paid-for education. This is where the salesmen analogy comes in. Gurley generates massive value for his organization; Evans did not. You are saying that equal compensation for the two of them is fair. Dave is saying that Gurley deserves a “commission,” a share of the value he’s generating.
NCAA wants to say that you’re right. I don’t agree.
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Again, these analogies to corporate sales and marketing don’t apply, because UGA isn’t a company, it’s a state funded education institution with additional revenue coming from private donations. I realize people such as yourself and Dave are desperately trying to weave a different storyline, but repeating oneself until blue in the face doesn’t change reality or the facts.
If you want to fuck-up college sports forever, go to pay-for-play system and see what happens in 5-10-15-20 years. Such a model is financially unsustainable for the overwhelming majority of colleges and universities.
The problem with social engineers is they never think through the consequences of their schemes or how to properly implement their utopian ideas. It’s all about feeling good with oneself.
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Texas A&M has a stadium expansion as exhibit A that you are full of shit about players all having equal value for the team.
And I always thought the problem with social engineers was that they pretend to support a free market, until they think they have a better idea, which they then insist on imposing on others without admitting to it being social engineering. Kind of like forbidding college athletes from profiting off their names and likenesses.
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Submitted without comment:
The Court therefore concludes that the NCAA’s restrictions on student-athlete compensation play a limited role in driving consumer demand for FBS football and Division I basketball-related products. Although they might justify a restriction on large payments to student-athletes while in school, they do not justify the rigid prohibition on compensating student-athletes, in the present or in the future, with any share of licensing revenue generated from the use of their names, images, and likenesses.
The Court, having duly considered the evidence presented at the bench trial in this matter and consistent with its findings of fact and conclusions of law, hereby orders as follows:
[The National Collegiate Athletic Association cannot] [p]rohibit deferred compensation in an amount of $5,000 per year or less (in 2014 dollars) for the licensing or use of prospective, current, or former Division I men’s basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision football players’ names, images, and likenesses through a trust fund payable upon expiration of athletic eligibility or graduation, whichever comes first
This injunction shall not affect any prospective student-athlete who will enroll in college before July 1, 2016.
O’Bannon v. NCAA, Docket No. 09-3329 (N.D. Cal. August 8, 2014)
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hate to break this to you, but the ruling doesn’t become final until it’s either appealed or the time for an appeal has passed. At the moment, it has nothing to do with Gurley and his situation.
Is the NCAA a bunch of venal morons? Sure. In a better world, would Gurley be in trouble for such a small potatoes thing? Absolutely not. Did he know the rule as it currently exist? How could he not?
It’s not that I’m not sympathetic to him, or that I might not have done the same thing in his shoes (little cash, seemingly low risk, who’s going to know?) if he in fact did this. But, you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences. This problem was 100% avoidable if he just did what he knew he was supposed to do.
He’s not a plantation slave. He may not, in fact, be cashing in to the extent he could be if it was a free market, but that’s a much different argument. The solution to that problem isn’t to take stuff under the table. I hold no brief for the current system, but he made a bad choice. What he suffers from it in the short term wont hurt him with the NFL in a couple of months; he’s going to cash in just fine. What he potentially costs his teammates and coaches in the short term, that isn’t repairable.
I can see, and wouldn’t blame Gurley, if he didn’t think much, or care much, about the administration, or the fan base. I have a little tougher time if he didn’t think (possible for a 20 year old) or care about his teammates and coaches.
If all a person cares about is money, that doesn’t say much about them. That’s true for our administration, and it’s true for our coaches, and it’s true for players. I don’t think we should burn a 20 year old kid who’s a good kid at the stake because he wanted some walking around money when it seems everyone else at the administrative level is cashing in, but even 20 year olds know right from wrong and whether the team is bigger than the me.
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I don’t want to sound smug here, but sentiments like this miss a rather large point: you’re not walking in Todd Gurley’s shoes.
It’s not that he doesn’t come from an affluent, or even easy, middle class background. It’s that, plus he’s inundated with agents and brokers offering stuff. I’m not saying that justifies his decision. But I don’t find it hard to absolve him of selfishness, either.
We’ve heard that Georgia was monitoring the situation out of concern, but I haven’t heard about what kind of mentoring and support the school was giving Gurley to cope with the pressure. My guess is that’s because there wasn’t much.
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The school and NCAA were too busy profiting from his likeness and image to spend time mentoring him…
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Another in a long list of CMR’s head coaching issues, both on and off the field. Might as well move on. He is finished at UGA. But it is typical of the culture in UGA athletics…immature, poorly managed … it is damn issue after issue in off field problems with CMR’s teams. Thefts, drug issues, autographs on gear / etc, academics, and the list goes on … then you see it on the field re play.
Is there not a compliance section in the AD office. Do they not monitor this or is always left up to the press, law enforcement, and other outsiders to bring this to the fore.
Write off this season and a few more now. Say what you want but he was the entire Bobo play book.
What really pisses us off is how poorly this AD and Board functions. They exist outside of what is happening with athletes …but they can always say the words and spin it.
Hell, who cares any more. Apparently the AD does not.
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You guys putting a potential name and address of the snitch out there for the crazies to see, think about what you are doing. Please.
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What!? Are you serious!?
This guy opened himself up to this. He made money off a kid–THEN went out of his way to shop this story around. He is a piece of shit…and now his identity has leaked, just as he leaked this story. I have zero sympathy.
If his business is memorabilia–he is done. Who will sign for him again? Ever? His picture should be posted everywhere. There should be signs in his yard and people calling him out wherever he goes. He asked for it.
I kind of feel like Danny McBride in the Fist Foot Way about this asshole:
“I don’t care if [he] wakes up in a ditch, with grown men shitting on [him] and jumping on [his] head…the worst shit…”
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I personally believe that most recreational drugs should not be illegal, just perhaps regulated. That said, if I possess pot in almost every state save Washington and Oregon, then I can get arrested, maybe for a felony.
Same with owning and carrying a gun. I live in Georgia and have a concealed weapons permit. The way I carry my hand gun here will get me arrested and maybe charged with a felony in many states.
The NCAA rules are fucked up. But they are the rules.
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First Take just destroyed UGA for not supporting TG like A&M did Johnny Football. We are so screwed.
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As well they should. Our administration is pathetic
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Manziel denied. TAM was able to support him. Gurley sang like a canary. UGA had no choice.
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That is a valid point and one that will be completely ignored by the media during this entire “scandal”
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I blame BOTH Gurley and the NCAA. The proposition that you must blame one or the other as mutually exclusive propositions seem equally silly to me.
Football, more than the other sports, comes down an ethos of shared accountability. My son’s football team has accountability groups, and my son has run about 2 miles of extra sprints on Accountability Tuesdays because one kid in his group just will not get his act together. Week by week, the kid sees the consequences of his decisions on his teammates, and he’s starting to come around. My son just looks at it as extra conditioning for the upcoming basketball season and shrugs it off. Good for him. That’s what I love about the game itself, and I am so happy to see him playing for at least this year. It’s also a big reason I am not a fan of the NFL or its star system. So, I am not willing to absolve Gurley because he broke a bad or even illegal rule.
Stipulated: I hate the rule. I hate that no one around Gurley had the good sense to pull him away from those influences or set up a buffer of deniability around him, which is how most programs skate through these waters. I hate that some turd gets to profit off of Gurley’s name more than Gurley does because a stupid NCAA rule creates this sort of black market in the first place. Tangent: I hate that we are pathetic enough as fans to need autographed merchandise badly enough to create that black market. Grow up, people.
But I also hate that Gurley did this. It was selfish and stupid. Anyone who wants to argue that he’s not is really arguing that the NCAA is more selfish and stupid, which is an altogether different argument.
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The NCAA and its rules are ridiculus. This kid is a good kid, who has been in no trouble. He sold hat he owns, his name. Guys, the NCAA is like the new plantation. You work for them and they steal your name for profit. These kids earn their education. I am a season ticket holder. They pay every saturday, by providing the fans with a day of entertainment, while laying their bodies on the line. If you say Gurley is selfish and stupid…really, he was in a bar a couple of weeks ago and was doing nothing, but pick up a guys hat and try to return it. The WHITE FRAT BOY CALLED HIM THE n -word. wAKE UP AND REALIZE WHAT THESE YOUNG BLACK KIDS DEAL WITH. uH, i AM WHITE, SO DON’T SAY JACK. NCAA, THE NEW PLANTATION.
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You’re hurting my ears! 🙂
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Yeah, ultimately Gurley was to blame, but this autograph dealer is pond scum. Man hope we find out his idenity so we can make his life hell.
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