I’m not sure why it’s important to play the blame game with Todd Gurley, but since there are plenty besides Jeff Schultz who want to do so, is it worth my time to point out that the reason Todd Gurley was in a position to violate NCAA rules for making money selling his autograph is because we – fans, athletic directors, media members alike – have made his name and likeness valuable?
As Andy Staples puts it in this excellent piece,
The players didn’t turn college football into a multibillion-dollar business. The conference commissioners and athletic directors did. Now, those administrators must deal with the consequences, and one is people are more willing than ever to pay for the autographs of the players they see on television every Saturday. The players are going to sign. The money is too easy and the likelihood of negative consequences too small to stop them.
No doubt the situation sucks. Gurley broke a rule he was well aware of. Indignation is something I can understand coming from everyone. It’s the righteous part that isn’t justified. At least not if you don’t blame yourself along with Gurley.
Get The Picture 
Gurley’s only crime was not being more careful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with breaking unjust rules, in fact if it weren’t so self-serving it would be heroic. As it stands it was a morally neutral act, and will be remembered as such a decade hence.
Hell, I haven’t heard anyone refer to AJ Green’s ‘selfishness’ for the exact same crime in years.
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Richt demands honesty from his players. That’s what honesty will get you. And some fans wonder why Georgia seem to lack that “luck” to win the ultimate prize in football. I do not think luck just comes knocking on the door, you just sometimes have to make it happen. Then everybody say’s we’re or you’re lucky. Honesty and luck does not come tied to each other either.
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And to add, if fans feels Gurley is greedy, then he might as well push the envelope further and just leave for the NFL.
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Agree it’s not luck. Winning off the field is as important as winning on it.
UGA is the only SEC school that doesn’t get it.
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From the beginning, I’ve gotten a kick out of all these CFB fans lambasting Gurley for being greedy, selfish, and any other adjective you want to throw in there for daring to take money in exchange for autographs. Little did such fans realize that they were being as hypocritical as the NCAA itself with such comments, along with showing their general lack of self-awareness.
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I’m surprised you haven’t brought this up, Bluto: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5525330
“Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus has been declared ineligible for two games for accepting nearly $2,000 in improper benefits during two trips to Miami”
I at least hope the folks in Butts-Mehre are aware.
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The difference there was Dareus accepted $2000 worth of improper benefits, not cold, hard cash. In other words, he was provided free airfare, lodging, food, etc. which he most likely had no clue what the value was until the investigation afterwards.
Accepting a free plane ticket and lodging with no stated value is a far cry from stating a specific dollar amount per signed item to a dealer (around $20 in Gurley’s case), then accepting said payment for his services.
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Well, I would agree that this terrible logic is probably the basis of the NCAA’s distinction, but I disagree that cash and goods/services are different for these purposes. What is the substantial difference between someone purchasing something and giving it to the player versus giving him cash so he can buy it himself? Cut out the intermediate step and they seem quite the same.
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+1
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Well said, Tucker.
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Is Bama going to be forced to forfeit all the games he played in since the allegations first came to be known? That is why Gurley sat out two games already before the NCAA made a ruling. I thought if a team knew of possible allegations and continued to play the Athlete the games would be forfeited.
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Yea, tell that to the IRS
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Sorry, reply was to 3rdandGrantham
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But does the punishment fit the crime/violation?
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No. By the NCAA standards…they should fork over Millions if not Billions and may have to if O’Bannon gets their way and they will.
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Of course it does, Spike. Question and change the rules all you want, but if you can’t abide by the consequences of knowingly breaking the rule, then we shouldn’t sign on to them.
The NCAA is not at fault for applying the known punishment for breaking a known rule. The schools and ADs who signed on are the ones who should catch our ire. But I’ve always wanted us to belong to and observe the rules of the NCAA. It has only been recent history to look askance of the hypocrisy of NCAA rules and their applications that have been around for years.
Everyone (fans, alums) should push our school to help change the rules before someone else crucifies themselves on that cross. I challenge you all to make your feelings known elsewhere, i. e., Gameday for the Auburn game here if we keep winning. Bring signs that are pertinent to this issue. Remember the sign carrier two years ago who resurrected the St Mary woman’s suicide directly as a result of reported rape against ND players? It can lead to more pub and subsequent rules changes faster than is happening now.
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No, the NCAA is at fault for creating and enforcing immoral plantation style rules, all the while profiting from the athletes trying to do the same thing the NCAA brazenly does.
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If you don’t like it, then burn the Plantation down. They are there because the schools, abiding by the wishes of alums and other fans, are participating as we have wanted them to for years. Get busy and change things. Pissing in the wind only puts a bad taste in your mouth. Do something, dammit.
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Well said Cojones.
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It’s not just the blame.
Wallowing in money, the NCAA has lost the legitimacy to hand out punishments like this.
Just as bad, the NCAA’s judgment on these matters is so inconsistent and mediocre that it’s arbitrary. Yesterday Emmert hid behind ‘rules are rules.’ The SOB trampled all over rules in his moral outrage to punish Penn State, and now he hides behind ‘rules are ‘rules.’
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The fans, nor the NCAA, are not to be faulted in this matter. The blame falls squarely upon the shoulders of Gurley and the UGA Athletic Department. Gurley for informing the current rule/s and the UGAAD for being idiots. To point the finger elsewhere is beyond silly. And of course the fan base is going to get a tad sideways emotionally. The team has a shot at a special season and their star player has potentially jeopardized that opportunity. The kid screwed up major, now the program (potential recruiting fallout), the team (forced to play without their best player), and the fans (vested both emotionally and financially) all pay the price. Gurley simply did not account for the consequences of his actions. Or, he did not care.
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The fans should not be faulted? Who do you think buys Allen’s swag?
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When UGAAA stopped allowing fans to bring stuff during Fan day in August around 2010 I think, spurious dealers took advantage of these and money became so attractive to athletes particularly at UGA. Fans are indeed part of the problem particularly those with money. I remember attending Charity Auction in 2008 where a helmet signed by UGA 1,000 yard season RB went for about $2,000 or so. What the UGAAA inadvertently did was do away with the free signature memorabilia on a hat or cheap helmet for regular fans, to a more clandestine operations. The signatures on those items not just on a poster also became less common and therefore more in demand thereby causing increased interest to dealers.
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By that logic you can blame the fans for anything in College football since they buy the tickets. I guess the only way we fans can escape culpability is if they put the games on for free. Or would just us showing up make us still responsible?
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Allen wasn’t selling tickets. Nice straw man you constructed there.
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So who the seller is determines culpability?
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If there’s no market for Gurley’s signature, there’s no money for Gurley and there’s no NCAA violation. Why is this so hard for you to grasp?
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I understand it perfectly. I just know there are some things that are regulated for the benefit of society and this is one of them. If this is allowed to play out the way many on your side would like it will destroy college athletics for millions of young men and women thus depriving many of them with the only real chance they have of getting a college education. Your side seems to only be concerned with the minuscule
few that have the talent to play professionally.
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I get that you don’t like paying players. But that’s not what my post is about.
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To me they are the same. If they said players can sell their autographs where does it end? Does that mean on UGA day I have to tip/pay the two or three players that can play at the next level while the other players that work just as hard as they do get nothing? Do I have to pay them all? Do we really want the recruiting process to involve a coach saying “Our star running back got $88,000 for his autographs last year but Georgia’s (or whatever school) only got $43,000. We take care of our players”. Is that what we want? Its not what I want and hopefully enough others agree.
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You don’t “have” to pay anybody. But thousands of us choose to do so. And the schools and the media enrich themselves on our passion for our student-athletes. It seems selfish to deny the players the same opportunity.
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I don’t think that plan will end well for anyone.
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I like your attitude. But why should it stop with college players? I mean, Geno Smith works just as hard as Payton Manning. But Geno doesn’t make nearly as much as Payton just because Payton is a hall of famer and Geno sucks. That’s not fair.
Also, I work just as hard as Warren Buffett. Some of his assets should be mine in the name of fairness.
I tell you, if the free market is allowed to flourish in this country it will be chaos. We have to stop these players from profiting off their own names and likenesses. For the children.
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That makes no sense. There is a big difference in college/high school students and those that have embarked on their professional career.
There are many things that are permissible in life when one has completed school that are not when one is in school.
UGA is a public university funded by our tax dollars just like the many other public school systems in the state. The athletes on scholarship are afforded that opportunity courtesy of the taxpayers. It is not a business. It operated before there was a football team and will operate when there ceases to be one (if people with the same ideas as you appear to have on this topic win the day).
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Besides age, what key difference is there between students and professionals? If you’re correct, perhaps the colleges need to go beyond athletics and prohibit all students from making money while in school. I mean, you can’t very well learn when you’ve got some money in your pocket that you earned yourself, can you? That would certainly keep out the riff raff, if that’s your goal.
And tell those who profit off athletics (i.e., everyone besides the athletes) that college athletics isn’t a business. Perhaps we can convince Mark Emmert and Mike Slive to donate their salaries to charity, since it’s not really a business. Perhaps tickets can be given out for free. Nah, I didn’t think so.
Given that billions of dollars generated by college athletics, I just don’t share your unfounded belief that there’s nothing to spare for the athletes. And I doubt the world would end if those kids actually got a piece of the action.
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“Besides age, what key difference is there between students and professionals?” Lets start with maturity, Most college students can’t legally buy a beer until their Junior or Senior year. Why? Because time has shown that a vast majority are not mature enough to handle it before then. That lack of maturity spills over into most facets of their lives. It did mine to some degree at that age as well as most other people.
” If you’re correct, perhaps the colleges need to go beyond athletics and prohibit all students from making money while in school.” There is a vast difference in a high school or college student working a part time job at Domino’s and and an student athlete being paid for autographs. First if the student working at Domino’s doesn’t perform to a stated level they get fired. The athlete may ride the bench but they still have the taxpayer provided education, the taxpayer provided tutors. Do they have to physically work hard? Absolutely! But they do it on some of the best equipment around in some of the best facilities around. Equipment and facilities they did not contribute a penny for nor are they charged for the use of as they shouldn’t be. If they are one of the few that have the skills to play professionally great if not they have earned some marketable skills to increase their value in the marketplace.
” I mean, you can’t very well learn when you’ve got some money in your pocket that you earned yourself, can you? ” This is not worth responding to.
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So, because young athletes tend to be less mature than other, more worthy, adults, we should take away their fundamental right to earn money form their NIL? Brilliant! God knows we can’t have those kids spending their money on video games or baseball cards when it should be deposited in the reserve fund.
And athletes are already earning based on a scholarship and nice facilities? Genius. To take the athletes that provide the very product that the university sells to provide for the facilities and then insist that they can’t be allowed to profit from it? Positively Orwellian.
I mean, we both know that it’s taxpayer dollars filtered through Jere Morehead and Greg McGarity that pumps up the reserve fund and makes ours one of the most profitable athletic departments in the country. It certainly wasn’t athletes like Gurley, Murray, and Jones who attracted interest in our athletic department. Just like it was just a coincidence that TAMU was able to fund a huge expansion to its stadium at a time when Manziel was winning the Heisman.
And my education policy isn’t worth responding to? Come on, man. I’m on your side. We can’t have these kids living their own lives of individual liberty. We need some serious oversight, control, and economic planning to direct the lives of these kids in the direction that we decide they should go. You and I agree whole heartedly. We just say it in different ways.
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+1
See my post a bit below.
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Your response is so tired / played out and literally regurgitates exactly what the senator is getting at.
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Disagree. Gurley shoulders part the blame because he knew better but the machine has created this. He did not screw up majorly. If anything the NCAA has this asine rule because they aren’t getting their cut. It boils down to money.
Do you think we play in the Gator bowl last year without him? Nope, he was the reason they choose us.
How bout’ all those #3 jersey’s being sold in the bookstore? Does Todd get a dime of that money? How bout’ his family?
The rub here for me is the complete hypocrisy by the NCAA.
There is a reason that a Federal Judge ruled against them.
They are a sinking ship and are trying to pull down everyone with them.
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That is D-U-M, dumb.
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Wow.
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1) The program is bigger than one player.
2) Gurley is being mis-treated by the NCAA’s archaic rules that have been found to be illegal. Had Gurley been compensated for his NIL as the court has mandated beginning in 2016, perhaps he doesn’t have transactions with Bryan Allen and the ilk. The NCAA is perpetuating the problem by not addressing the cause. It’s not like this is the first time this has come up. If they wouldn’t sit on their hands, they probably wouldn’t find themselves in court so frequently.
3) If there is any potential recruiting fallout, it is self-inflicted and Gurley couldn’t be further from the cause of that.
4) Gurley just saw… JUST SAW Manziel do the exact same thing. He got one half suspension against Rice. So, you have to imagine Gurley didn’t accurately account for the consequences of his actions because the NCAA just makes shit up as they go along. I can’t exactly fault him for not knowing what the NCAA would do because nobody knows what the NCAA is doing.
5) Autographs would hold no value if people didn’t buy them. So, I blame every idiot who has ever purchased an autograph. They are the market makers. Without demand, there is no supply, there is no broker, there is no rule. That is the cause. If you purchased a Gurley autograph, you should punch yourself in the nuts for causing this.
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Agree with 2), but disagree on 3) (not vehemently). I think that more of Mama’s and sometimes, Papas, will understand that their sons won’t be shielded from mistakes that are virtually benign to their professional lives, but get a hugh lesson before a mistake affects their lives totally. They have already seen many Coaches agree that they would send their sons to UGA because of the staff, principally Richt.
None of these events are lost on parents who care where their child goes.
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Poor parents don’t think much of rules that prevent their talented sons from making money, while already rich happily make lots and lots of money off of their talented sons.
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Poor people that I know are usually the salt of the earth. Many people endure living monetarily poor under rules that society imposes on them in furtherance of their poverty, but they remain true to their individual morals of religious behavior just the same. Many of the parents of our players used that as their reason for their son as part of our Dawg team player makeup; the team we worshipfully cheer as representatives of our school and it’s ideals
I don’t think that people are poor because they are stupid. Most poor people have been put in that position by some who think greed and avarice is the rule because they are smarter. It isn’t true. It’s because they were more advantaged early on than poor people. Many poor parents know their children won’t succeed in life if money is the only measuring stick They don’t use that excuse for their poverty either.
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I’m not suggesting there is a recruiting fallout. Skeptic suggested it. I just said it couldn’t be laid at Gurley’s feet.
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That’s why I posted (not vehemently). I had seen the ‘If” before your well-crafted remark. I just used the opportunity to express recruiting as I see it.
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“If you purchased a Gurley autograph, you should punch yourself in the nuts for causing this”
Agree. If you don’t have the balls to do it, call me, I happily come by and try and kick one through the endzone. 🙂 .
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It’s times like this that I regret my handle. 🙂
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Ha, +1.
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Four is so true why would Gurley think Maziel could get away with it and not him or Winston but not him. The hypocrisy of the NCAA is astounding.
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The NCAA couldn’t have done it without the Georgia Athletic Department.
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So true, DIF, so true.
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exactly
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there’s no reason to be indignant at Gurley. He made a mistake. He trusted a guy he shouldn’t have trusted. He (insert the expletive you know I want to use here) up. Now he’s suffering the consequences. Sucks to be him, sucks to be us, file the appeal, move on.
If you want to be pissed at the NCAA for their greed, sloth, ineffectiveness, I can’t argue with you. If you want to be pissed at our AD for not stonewalling the NCAA, I’m not sure I agree. If you want to be pissed at Gurley, I definitely don’t agree. I know he screwed up, he knows he screwed up. I know if I was in his shoes, I might have taken the cash, too. Hindsight is 20/20. We all screw up at some point. If he’s sorry and takes his punishment and comes back strong, there’s no reason to make a villain out of him.
I don’t give him a pass. But I don’t hold a grudge, either. At least, not against Gurley. I just hope he learned something useful from this whole fiasco.
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Amen, 81! Well said.
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Damn good 81. Lead on.
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I imagine he has learned never to trust idiots like Greg McGarity again.
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lolwut because our Athletic Department always reports for duty
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Folks Gurley admitted this had been going on for two years. There are more slimy people than just one involved. And there was more at stake than just Todd Gurley’s eligibility. Two Years. Ponder that please.
I am not mad at Todd Gurley, although I wish to hell he had not taken any money for what may be, morally, his property.
I am not even mad at the poor dumb schmuck who started the ball rolling.
Truth be told I am not mad at anybody except Florida, and I am always mad at them about this time of the year.
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Well said Scorp
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You could not have put that more perfectly.
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The indignation is NOT something I understand. I only wish breaking an archaic and inane rule was the worst I had done when I was his age.
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True. Including the one about me leading a riot.
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Fans and our enabling insanity are ultimately to blame for all of the problems in college athletics. What I don’t understand is why many feel the need to blame everyone but Gurley in this specific case.
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Here’s how I see it: There is an orphan who bakes a special kind of bread that no one else can replicate. It is so good that people want this bread from all over the land. The orphan becomes famous, known throughout the country as the best bread-baker in the land. The orphan doesn’t have much money (being an orphan and all), but the bakery owner gives the orphan a little hut to sleep (which must be shared with a few others), a little money to eat a sandwich, and some nice bakery-themed clothes. Meanwhile, the bakery owner lives in a castle, makes hundreds of millions of dollars per year, eats lobster and steak every day and flies around on private jets to have meetings with other bakery owners to figure out how to make more money selling bakery-themed stuff.
Now due to the fame of the bread-maker and his specialty bread, the peasants desired for the bread-maker to sign a rolling pin to place on their mantle. They desired it so much, they were willing to pay large sums for it. Seeing that the orphan didn’t have much spending money, the orphan decided to pursue this revenue stream, knowing full well that it was against the bakery owner’s rules. The rules were in place to guarantee all revenue streams went through the bakery first. It was the bakery who took care of the orphan and looked out for his best interest after all. The punishment for breaking the rules was to miss a number of weekly bake-offs determined by the amount of money the orphan made. The bake-offs were the highlight of the orphan’s week because there were only so many each year. This would be a tremendous blow, but the orphan knew other bakeries let their orphans do it without much if any punishment. The orphan decided it was worth the risk. The orphan got caught. He misses the next four bake-offs.
The peasants who love the orphan’s bread get the bakery’s regular bread and talk about how it tastes just as good because they paid the same for it and it has the officially-licensed bakery brand on it and it doesn’t matter to them which orphan makes the bread. It makes them feel good about themselves to wear bakery-branded clothing and tell their friends how great this new orphan’s bread is. There are some bakery fans that poo-poo on the orphan, because he knew the rules by god. He knew what he was doing, and it was his actions that have resulted in us not getting his bread. We are entitled to it because we pay good money to the bakery owner who then allots as little as allowed by law (and maybe less) to the orphan. The orphan didn’t have to bake bread. He chose to bake bread at our beloved bakery. It doesn’t matter that baking bread was the orphan’s best (perhaps only) shot at a better life for himself. He should have obeyed the bakery’s rules no matter what, right?
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Is it an unleavened rule of the bakery?
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Double-shot.
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+1
Brilliant.
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What kind of bread? Rye, pumpernickel, sourdough? Definitely sourDOUGH.
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And, to make a horrid partly-french pun, UGA gets left with the pain.
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He already left. He’s on a boat
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Very punny, Will.
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Excellent point Biggus.
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Evil Richt slid Gurley the extra $2600 thereby incurring the extra 2 game suspension, insuring the team comes out even MORE focused and on fire than against Mo and Arky. Consequently fu and Uk get the violation of a lifetime, while Gurley returns in time for awbarn and runs wild returning the universe to normalcy. PS… gtu also gets 1 last good dose of “We Run This State”, as well.
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Now you are beginning to run after throwing the bit. Sic’em, Hoss! This is where we should be in our minds for this game. We have only ourselves to blame by not doing everything we can to help that laser focus on beating FU’s ass.
The Dawgs are coming and, Boy!, are they pissed.
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Today is the luckiest day of Boom’s mission!
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No, I do not blame Gurley. I would never blame him. I do have issues with people who use and abuse young people like him. Their conduct and behavior should not be tolerated. Those people should be permanently driven out of sports and this state. Uncouple them.
I can remember once in my life when I had lost about everything…because of others and the circumstance that came about. I carry a reminder in my wallet not to go that way again. It happens. It is no fun to walk every where. To miss meals and things other seem to have.
I know they get the “ride” and the other school stuff. But those guys put a lot in. Some more than others. I thought he played with fury, passion, and all out. He did not give in. He sold out on his plays. Think many of us want to see that from this team now. Go after them in the SEC.
I’m with Todd Gurley all the way. I know nothing about his background and personal life. I want him to finish out this season running the ball and playing a game he has put alot into. He deserves that and all the achievements he can accomplish the balance of this season. He paid a price for that plus more.
He gets punished and so does his teammates to a point.
But does Bryan Allen and the others get punished? Nope they just walk on.
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There is an interesting article in Forbes done by Heitner essentially saying the UGAAA is not smart enough in this case.
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My advice to Gurley is to go pro now. Why prolong this charade? If he stays and for any reason we lose, he may be called the goat. If he stays, he’s leaving himself open for more of the same abuse. If he stays and gets injured, he jeopardizes millions. Leave this b.s. situation now – you’ve done more than any reasonable person could expect. You might give a ‘go f**k yourself’ goodbye speech to the ncaa, along with a promise to return with a team of money hungry lawyers in the near future.
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He’s insured.
Go Dawgs! Kick FU’s miserable redneck ass!
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Plus, it’s not like UGA tried to protect Gurley although McGarity tried to make it appear that way. In hindsight it is now easy to see that UGA acting through McGarity et.al. acted purely out of self-interest. The Georgia Administration tried to protect its own interests and when those didn’t coincide with Gurley’s, Georgia basically threw Gurley under the bus to curry favor with the NCAA. I am both repulsed and disgusted by the actions of the University of Georgia in this matter. Q: How do you spell “conflict of interest:” A: U-G-A.
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Be careful, Mayor. There are those who will viciously attack you for questioning the motives of the administration of our AA.
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Wow Gurley’s attorney really has some harsh things to say about how UGA managed it:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2014/10/29/todd-gurley-at-mercy-of-ncaa-with-little-chance-to-return-before-auburn/2/
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“Georgia had the opportunity to say the allegations against Gurley were not credible and that even if they were, it would be unconstitutional for the university to try to prevent an adult from selling his signature. Johnson equated such a move to “giving the finger to the NCAA,””
This begs the question: Was UGA willing to risk a potential championship season and jeopardize the other player’s hopes and dreams just to prove a point that is currently being addressed through O’Bannion?
Of course, Gurley’s lawyer thinks they should have.
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Is the NCAA willing to risk it’s illegal monopoly over this? No.
Next paragraph:
“Texas A&M simply refused to find probable cause to suspend Manziel, so he wasn’t suspended, and then to save face, the NCAA negotiated the half-game suspension,” Johnson said. ”I think the chancellor of Texas A&M would have lost his job if Manziel had been suspended by the university; here, there isn’t the alumni/fan pressure on the head of the Georgia system, thus the kid sits in limbo, his future dimming, and nobody cares.”
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“”I think the chancellor of Texas A&M would have lost his job if Manziel had been suspended by the university; here, there isn’t the alumni/fan pressure on the head of the Georgia system…”
That strikes me as a feature, not a bug.
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Exactly. Everyone knows that Cam Newton Dad took money but they didn’t go busting ass to find it. I seems though UGA is beating and riding one in the same.
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Gurley’s attorney is William King – I don’t see any comments from him in that piece.
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Great article. I think this is the key part, and it is why I am so mad at UGA.
They mishandled this whole thing and left their player, their alumni, and their fans to rot. Here’s the truth:
“Once you’re in their system, you’re not going to win within their system. Georgia should have ‘manned up’ and not suspended the kid. They should have said, ‘We believe under the Georgia Constitution and the state of Georgia, the we have no ability to prevent an individual from selling his autograph. That it would divest an individual of his property rights.’ It would be taking a risk, but you’re playing hard ball. That’s what Texas A&M essentially said to the NCAA.”
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And then on the recruiting trail we get hit with “they threw their best player under the bus…if some horrible accusations happened to you, would you rather be there, or here, where we’ll stick up for you?” AND still toss out the “look at all those arrests” BS at the parents.
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Exactly.
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Meh.
Over caring whose to blame or what happens..this is the lot we have chosen. This is CMR’s way of doing business. There was never going to be a different outcome.
I think that UGA is good enough to beat the next 2 teams without Gurley. Hopefully Gurley is back for the Auburn game and we get to see him between the hedges a few more times.
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DawgPhan reaches the fifth and final stage – Acceptance – of the Gürley-Richt Five Stages of Meh model quicker than many others
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Can’t resist…
Senator, if we indict the fans then do we not indict all of America as well? I, for one, will not stand here and have this great country insulted.
Good Day, Sir!
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Go, Otter — and just as a matter of public record I advise everyone here to drink heavily, at least until the Gatah game.
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is the black bag going to Jacksonville?
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Long time reader of gtp but never a poster until now. When all this Gurley mess started, I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach, I actually felt ill. Georgia just cannot seem to get a break. What in the world happened and who can I be pissed at? The answer is easy. As previous posts have stated, the fault lies with fans that pay, sellers that sell, and as painful as it is to say…Todd Gurley, although I’m not going to sit here and say “he got what he deserved because he broke the rules crap.”
What really bothers me is the inconsistency in punishments. The Ohio State players and their absolutely laughable punishment. How in the world did Scam Newton get a judgment in less than 24 hours? How? Johnny Manziel and his 1/2 game suspension. I won’t even address Jameis Winston, that is cuckoo like cocoa puffs crazy. None of these players had any consequences to speak of. I don’t know what the evidence was and neither does anyone else except those that were involved, but why does our evidence take three weeks to sift through, but Scam’s took less than 24 hours? Will we get our appeal results in 24 hours? Come on NCAA, it’s time to light this candle!
Now we have Todd Gurley: 1. He’s lost the Heisman and I believe with all the Dawg in me that he would have won it had he played. 2. He has let his team and his coaches down. From what I’ve read about Gurley, this was a heavy blow. 3. His stellar career at UGA now has this ugly stain to it, not to mention he’ll have to listen to AU, FU, and GT dweezils make cracks about it forever. Now come on, isn’t that more than enough of a punishment? Losing the Heisman alone is more than punishment enough.
I know UGA is taking a lot of heat for “doing the right thing”. Doing the right thing, especially in today’s world, takes an enormous amount of courage, and it’s ridiculed and criticized. I also believe that this is why Mark Richt seems to be such a polarizing figure. Being honest is sometimes the hardest thing in the world to be. I believe Mark Richt looks beyond football in making the mark (sorry) he wants to make on these young men. Georgia Football isn’t about one man. It’s about integrity, team, devoted coaches, devoted fans, and INTEGRITY!!!! Did I say integrity? That’s a hell of a lot more than FSU or Auburn can claim. I love my Dawgs and I am proud to be a very small part of the Dawg Nation. Sorry for the ramble, I just had to get it out somewhere. Go Dawgs!
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Good post.
~~~
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I totally agree with everything you said in the last paragraph. i just don’t think the “right” thing in this instance was to roll over for the NCAA. It might have been what UGA was obligated to do via the agreement they have for membership in the cartel, but the NCAA is not a moral authority (read the Miami case if you have doubts). There are rules in place, but the legality of the rules are in question. Political expedience is a more apt description of what UGA did in this case.
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You go mamadawg! Well said.
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Good stuff Mama, welcome to the asylum. 🙂
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Thank you for stepping forward mamadawg, especially in the midst of all the sleaziness that has existed regarding this subject, on this site, for the past two and a half weeks. Your thoughts reflect how difficult it is to deal with the matter and stand by your principles when so many take the easy way and the “twenty pieces of silver”, or an extra W or two in return for their integrity. (Of course it is easier to do that if you have had previous experience with the devil and have no character or soul left to risk.)
You are right about how difficult it is to show courage while “doing the right thing” in today’s world. Hence the number of attacks and cheap shots by the characters here against people who are being admired almost universally on other forums. The vast majority express how much admiration they have for the way UGA has handled things as an institution of higher learning, and how other programs have forgotten their mission statement of preparing students for taking a leading role in society. Weird that you have to go to UGA sites to see our coaches and staff blasted for their conduct. Bad times, but folks like you are great to be around.
Think back through your life and count the number of people you encounter, can absolutely be counted on to stand by you regardless of how tough the circumstances get, would never deny or desert you, or would take a bullet for you. Not that many I bet. Mark Richt is one of those people you can count on to stand tall and beside you when bad winds are swirling all around you, and you can bet the players know that…despite what little folks on message boards say when things don’t go their way. So yes, we should be proud to have him as the face of our program and embarrassed about those who slide a shiv in his back every chance they get. There is a reason John Kennedy’s book, Profiles in Courage, didn’t require hundreds of chapters.
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LOL, Mac. Over dramatic and self-righteous? UGA is as deeply entwined in this black market money-making scheme as every other university. It’s just they bend over when they get caught while their colleagues defy the NCAA.
If you want to stick to solely criminal behavior, then I’m right there with you. Gurley is no criminal. Insinuating their handling of Gurley was anything more doing the politically expedient thing is way off the… mark. YEEEEOOOOOOOOOWWW!
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Sorry, I don’t share your cynicism. Nor is this “over dramatic” at all, life is full of decisions like this and you are defined by the collective choices you make. If you don’ stand up for the right things you will find yourself standing in a cesspool at the end, or contributing to the slide downward. One rarely faces many life or death choices but we do have a lot character tests to take. If you feel differently, that is fine. As the title of this post says “look in the mirror”, I am comfortable that I haven’t backed away and taken the easy path. Not saying you have, I don’t know you, but many here have values that I question based on their expressions. Hard to see how UGA gets attacked on this matter, and frankly, I haven’t from what I see read, or hear elsewhere
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how’s the view with your head in the sand
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I never knew that putting millions/billions of dollars in the pockets of bureaucrats was such a noble calling. I’m trusting that Mac will buy the very first of my “What would Mark Emmert do?” bracelets.
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Ha ha ha ha ha, Good one, Satire, right?
I just want to ask exactly what principles that they are standing by?
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“take a bullet for you.”
Alas, I hope he wasn’t mortally wounded.
And now it’s time for a little sing-a-long with our ex-Justice Minister
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I find it weirdly comforting, b/c I can infer that he’s not just an opportunist. You don’t hop up there and sing a strange, awful song to a room of squirming, uncomfortable people without actually believing what you’re singing.
Thanks for sharing – I listened to the whole thing!
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Not only can he be mesmerizing in a barber shop quartet kind of way, he ran a good prayer meeting for the U.S. Attorney General employees to get their minds right :
“Since John Ashcroft became US attorney general last year, workers at the department of justice have become accustomed to his daily prayer meetings, but some are now drawing the line at having to sing patriotic songs penned by their idiosyncratic boss.”
Not to mention the cooking oil annoiting process:
“This is not the first time Mr Ashcroft’s subordinates have realised that this attorney general is unlike ordinary politicians. Each time he has been sworn in to political office, he is anointed with cooking oil (in the manner of King David, as he points out in his memoirs Lessons from a Father to His Son).”
And that “calico cats are signs of the devil,”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/mar/04/usa.julianborger
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First, I’m just getting through the shock that you have read JK’s “Profiles in Courage”. Sent my son a copy.
Second, I really liked the post. Since it included Mama’s as well, doubly so. Are you a closet Democrat?(…runs quickly to other side of room to make sure keyboard doesn’t burn him when it erupts in flames).
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You mean Ted Sorenson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/keyword/Profiles-in-Courage
It’s okay, Goldwater didn’t write my favorite book of his, either:
http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=150&theme=home&loc=b
🙂
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Off thread, but did you see Barry Goldwater’s funeral? Best one I’ve ever seen. He truly was loved by those around him who had more laughter (presented on-stage) than I’ve ever seen, especially when remembering his Indian School days and football.
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While not relevant to the subject, I belong to neither party, feel they are both run by the extremists on both the far right and far left, ignoring the fact that a large percentage of Americans oppose what both stand for. My positions on social issues tend to fall in the middle or left and my positions on financial and security issues are both conservative. Because those last two represent the most significant areas that cannot be compromised or weakened further, I can never vote democratic again so I have no choice but to vote for the Republican candidate. Those two areas are much too critical to weaken any further.
Wish there were a strong third party, or independent candidates, to break this strangle hold that has divided and crippled the political process but for now we simply get more divided. Oh to return to the day when representatives could actually represent their constituents on individual issues but that is no longer allowed, the parties only allow puppets who dance to the beat they set.
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Bill stopped the welfare handouts in Wash. He left the country 500B in the black (he did a dog and pony show before leaving office to graphically present the data). Each politician is indiv diff as to their economic interests (remember Bill’s campaign statement: “It’s the economy, stupid”). He delivered. Republicans were angry because he took their political football and ran with it. I think he qualifies for your need for a fiscal conservative.
Getting a blow job on the side was his idea, not mine. 🙂
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So, Clinton pledged welfare reform in 1992, but ignores it in his first term. Gingrich puts it in the Contract With America, and passed it three times. Clinton was afraid to risk vetoing it a third time, so Gingrich wins the game of chicken and Clinton gets the credit? Sounds about right.
Also, if you believe in the surpluses of the 90s, you probably believe in the tooth fairy and the NCAA’s beneficence. I hate to break the news to you, but this country is broke and has been for generations.
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If you didn’t see the evidence, don’t knock it. G. Bush blew the 500B and went 1 trillion in the hole in his first year. It’s on record.
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I’ve seen the evidence. Federal government spending has gone up every single year. Even in the Clinton years. National debt has gone up every single year. Even in the Clinton years. When debt increases, you don’t have a surplus. Claims of Clinton surpluses are nothing more than an accounting gimmick that only looks at portions of the budget and debt and ignores others. The fact is that the taxpayers are on the hook for ALL of the debt. And looking at the total picture, the government never had a surplus under Clinton.
And yes, GWB was also a big spender. Lucky we have Obama now to finally decrease the national debt. Wait …
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you’re a self righteous JOKE if you think Richt had any say in this…go tuck your son McGarity in bed…tired of your same old CRAP..
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Tough, because I don’t back off my positions because it offends ignorant pricks like you. You don’t like it, don’t read it…but I can understand why it is uncomfortable for folks like you to face what you really are. Puberty can be tough enough, you really shouldn’t be out worrying about adult topics. Run along and play nice with the others.
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Mark Richt has NOTHING to do with this…all on McGaritty and our crack self enforcement staff who need to prove that they deserve their salaries at the expense of one of our own
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Mama, there are literally thousands of autographs and signed pieces of memorabilia out there for sale on the internet and in stores originating from college football players. If you think that the kids who signed those items didn’t profit from signing them you are incredibly naive. The practice of signing for money is widespread. It will be legal within another year or two–the rule against it is in restraint of trade and can’t withstand court scrutiny, much like the O’Bannon situation, and damn near everybody in the nation with even a rudimentary understanding of the law knows that. Emmert said as much the other day in a press conference. It doesn’t help that Manziel got off basically scott free, leading players to think nothing would be done to them for the same activity. The NCAA didn’t investigate anything. This was all because the University of Georgia used the coach-athlete relationship to get this information out of Gurley and then turned him in to the NCAA. In Nazi Germany Hitler used the same kind of tactics–he “re-educated” German children to become spies, spying on their own families, and turning their own parents in when the father and/or mother didn’t buy into Nazi propaganda. Do you think that was commendable? This sordid episode didn’t happen because Georgia did what was “right.” This happened because Georgia is part of an illegal cartel that basically steals money from its own players and has been intimidated into being a cowardly snitch by the head of the cartel, the NCAA. McGarity and Richt have brought down a fine young man, cost him the Heisman and ruined his college career for doing the same thing that everyone else in CFB is doing semi-openly. Shame on them. IMHO they have brought disgrace to the University of Georgia. I, for one, will never forgive them. Let me ask you: Have you ever been in an automobile with one of your children when he/she was driving faster than the posted speed limit? Or ran a stop sign? Or, God forbid, caught him/her smoking grass or in possession of alcohol while still a minor? Did you call the police and turn you child in? If not, you are a hypocrite and so is Mark Richt who stated on TV recently that he felt like Gurley “was my own son.” Richt says he “loves” his players but when anything happens that requires his help he uses his personal relationship against them then throws them away like a used piece of toilet paper. What an asshole. I would never allow my son to play for this man. He’s a snake-oil salesman. I want a football coach. When I want a snake-oil salesman I’ll look up Mark Richt.
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Stand by for heavy incoming!
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It’s hard to argue with the truth, DIF. Note the number disputing what I said above.
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Perhaps many don’t think an unfounded rant should be replied to.
Except me, of course.
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After reading the comments, I’m reminded of a line in a John Wayne movie: “my faulit, your fault, nobody’s fault, it don’t matter…And it doesn’t matter because Todd Gurley sits out for two more games. That’s all that matters. Period. From the comments I can tell playing the “blame card” is a matter of perspective and a difference of opinion.
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Man, Senator. Todd Gurley-related news generates a lot of traffic and passionate commentary here. He’s no Condi Rice in that regard, but it’s still impressive to me.
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“He’s no Condi Rice” but if he were, he would have had no suspension 🙂
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Hell, the lefty-ass political blogs I read back during the Iraq war didn’t have as much conjecture on Condi Rice’s intelligence and acumen as this place did yesterday.
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Well, after all, what the Selection Committee does and what she does for entertainment, as well as where she shops, is more important because that attacks us here not over there amirite
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That’s pretty tortuous logic.
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It was a tortuous thread to read, albeit amusing if you have no strong feelings on her fitness for the committee.
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I don’t know but I think the timing is right for someone to write another letter to CMR
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Senator,
This post is another reason why your blog is my #1 favorite blog on the internet. Not just sports blog, any blog, and I read quite a few. I own a video game studio, and follow many for work, but yours is the tops.
This is an incredibly important and insightful point that I fear will get glossed over by most of the media, fans, players, pundits, etc.
The players are not responsible for college athletics wallowing in lucre. The Universities did this, and they did it on purpose. I’m not saying they are wrong or evil for doing it, but they did it. They turned college football and basketball into multi-billion dollar enterprises. And yet they expect the players to just keep on working for paltry wages (scholarship) compared to the value of their work.
Furthermore, they heap greater restrictions on these players than people who receive music, academic, or other scholarships. Those kids are not just allowed, but encouraged, to figure out ways to monetize their skills and pursue non-college career opportunities whenever possible.
The NCAA makes me sick. The way UGA has handled this disturbs me. I have loved CFB for so long, it is hard to quit. But this garbage is really pushing me over the edge.
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Muckbeast I do not like a lot of things about the NCAA. But I disagree on this point. You say “The players are not responsible for college athletics wallowing in lucre. The Universities did this”. But you seem to want to reward the players for what you say the Universities did. That sounds like something some union thug on the picket line would say. The covetous they have it and I want it syndrome.
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The Universities are running a monopoly that would normally be impossible under anti-trust laws.
If you want to play football, you MUST play by their anti-trust violating rules. You can’t simply go pro out of high school if you are good enough. You must play for 3 years in their illegal minor league system. The NFL and the NCAA have colluded in violating anti-trust law to create a monopoly that completely shuts kids out of pursuing their career.
This would be like you want to be an accountant, but before you can do that, you have to be an accountant for (effectively) free for 3-4 years before you’re allowed to get paid to do it. And you basically had no other path to become an accountant.
CFB is awash with money because the Universities wanted it that way. And they create arbitrary rules to stop players from receiving any financial gain from that – even when that gain comes from fans who are willing to PAY THEM for their autograph, their jersies, or other things that are THEIR LEGAL PROPERTY.
CFB/NCAA actually stop in and TAKE AWAY people’s private property rights. That’s an outrage.
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Eighty five players on every team receive ,meals, boarding, and a college diploma (unless the player chooses not to). Of those 85 players only a small handful have a chance of ever being paid for playing football. The ones that do get a minimum of three years to showcase their talents to the prospective buyers of those talents. The ones that don’t get an opportunity (with that diploma) the overwhelming majority of them would have never gotten. The opportunity to get employment on a level far above that that they would have otherwise gotten.
Now should the entire cost of attendance be paid rather than these partial scholarships they have now. I say they should. That brings those scholarships up to their fair market value. The schools should cover the medical expenses and provide insurance policies (many do these things now).
Anything beyond these things will destroy what has been a tremendous asset to literally millions of college student athletes down through the years.
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If you are attempting an economic argument, you are going to fail.
Without the NFL/NCAA colluding in anti-trust behavior, Gurley would have been making millions 2 years ago.
You don’t have a right to decide how much is “good enough” when the market actually values his skills at millions of dollars per year. An illegal scheme that denies him the value of his skills is not ok.
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I have probably never said this and never will again, but Schultz’s article is on the money. It’s a dumb rule, it needs to be repealed, Gurley should be able to profit off his name. It’s still a rule, and UGA and all other schools spend an inordinate amount of time educating players on the eligibility rules and consequences. Gurley most certainly knew what he was risking. He made the choice. He’s a young guy, and as young guys (and old guys) we all make some bad choices. It doesn’t make him a villain, and I’d even go easy on calling him selfish because I doubt it was that thoughtful. He didn’t think he’d get caught, he thought he’d get away with it. He was wrong and he got caught. Now there are consequences. I thought the NCAA might have taken an opportunity to use their own good judgement and show some mercy in light of public opinion being against them. I was wrong. Gurley has to sit and everybody loses. He’s not a bad guy for that, he’s not a victim, though, either.
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It was not Mark Richt who suspended Gurley it was the Athletic association.
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Gurley should wear a National Communists Against Athletes shirt to the gator bowl a la the Boz. 30 for 30 last night on him was pretty good.
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Look on the bright side: He’s already given us a season we’ll never forget!
We’ll be bitch’in and moan’in about this for years. 🙂
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As Staples points out so well, its the 40 hrs of community service that really chaps my hide. They act like they are some sort of law enforcement agency that just pulled Todd over for a DUI. Now they are going to make him work 40 hrs in order to ‘pay back’ the money he owes. 40 hrs that he is NOT allowed to work in a real job because of NCAA regulations.
All that’s left is for McGarity to submit Todd’s earnings to the IRS for audit.
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This wasn’t announced yet, but the ncaa instructed McGarity to assemble and return with more derogatory info on UGA players. McGarity and CMR, always happy to comply, said they’ll have everything delivered so the ncaa could rule on the rest of the roster before the fu kick-off.
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Plus, he has notified the local draft board and told them that Todd is now eligible for military service.
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Who trucked a whole load of defensive backs between the hedges?
Who delivered the the rock to the end zone?
Every Halloween the gators are filled with dread, every Thanksgiving the Nerd’s heads explode.
We’re talking about Todd Gurley. Already suspended? Then we’ll put him on double secret suspension!
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LOL!!!!
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If the Falcons keep playing the way the way they are, it could scare Gurley into staying another year. He can win his Heisman then…
Also, if he comes back, instead of doing the money-fingers thing ala Manziel,, when he scores, he can pretend he’s signing the ball before he gives it to the ref..
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With the falcons, raiders and jacksonville having top picks, returning to UGA and risking a serious injury doesn’t seem like a bad choice after all;-)
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Especially when you consider their offensive lines. Talk about risking serious injury…
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This guy kinda sums it up well:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2014-10-29/michaux-gurleys-punishment-doesnt-add?v=1414590543
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Great article:
“And perhaps now would also be a good time to point out that the NCAA and NFL have also conspired to deny Gurley – and anyone not at least three years out of high school – the right to pursue a career in the chosen field he is most suited to succeed in. Without that rule, Gurley could have already been making millions in the NFL this season instead of picking up scraps of cash for his signature while ensuring that his career longevity – already for running backs the lowest on average (2.56 years) in the NFL – will be at least a year shorter if not risking his health and employability altogether for no charge against the likes of Troy and Tennessee. ”
Nailed it.
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We’re all to blame, but the bulk of the blame has to go to Todd. And don’t get me wrong, he’s a great kid. I love him, and he’s my son’s hero. I think he’ll be a model citizen and NFL player. And I can’t wait to see him on 11/15.
I work in a profession that does not allow me to hold another job. In fact, this fall I took a job teaching basically ‘adjunct’ for one class a day that goes in line with my profession. I had to ask permission, but I’m at the line. Now, people across America are free to do whatever they want. They work 40 hrs at one plays, deliver pizzas at nights, and work weekends at another. I’m not allowed to do that, and I signed up for that. It is the avenue with which I chose to fulfill what I’m called to do. The NCAA is a cartel because it’s the only show in town, but Todd doesn’t have to be a football player, or he could have just waited or left high school to play in Canada or something.
It’s a bad rule that needs to be changed. We all agreed to it, but it was there for a reason. It’s a tricky business. Do we just allow alumni to pay whatever they want for autographs? It’s a whole big mess the courts are trying to fix, but these aren’t new rules.
Now, with all the bad press in O’Bannon, what I’m most flabbergasted about is how the NCAA doesn’t have an attorney in Indy that says “Guys, we need to get this out of our hands asap.” That’s what amazes me. They don’t want Todd Gurley’s name brought up in court…but it’s going to get brought up a lot.
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ACC, PAC10,BIG 12 fans want him banned and all of our wins vacated if ESPN comments are representative of their fans.
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That has the potential to be the most Georgia being Georgia story since the most #Lebanon story that ever Lebanoned:
https://mobile.twitter.com/sarahussein/status/526745935775555585
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OK, OK, Ok….are we done yet? We got the most important Georgia-Florida game since the Miracle on Duvall Street coming up in two and one half days.
Beat the Gators and we move on with goals ahead.
Can we just wrap our collective arms around our little, slow, confused buncha guys and get ready to kick some Gator ass?
And for those of us who don’t believe that fans can believe in their team and their coaches and help them win…even by posting on the internet, well, I feel very sorry for your empty souls.
Come on folks, get over it and get ready to hunker with the damn DAWGS!!!!
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That would be great.
I’ve thought all year this game would be tough, and nothing that has happened, as of this moment, has changed that.
We will need our A-game, IMO. Just hope the team responds to the Gurley news with that ‘circle the wagons’ mentality, and nothing else. Because we have a fight on our hands. We needed a great practice today, and according to Richt, it was pretty good.
We have to be ready for a fight and play a solid, disciplined game. That’s the key thing.
~~~
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OK, all you “rules are rules,” folks – stick to your convictions fully. If you’ve ever gone over the speed limit, look up the fine, and mail a check to the respective county. I mean, you know the rule, no one was hurt, and that 35 mph zone on four lanes in Arcade was deemed a speed trap by the Feds and shut down, but it was the rule at the time, so you should pay up.
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+1
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Gawd, UGA’s Athletic Department is more naive than even we could have anticipated.
They admitted to many more dollars and didn’t expect any more punishment. They even moved J.J. Green back to safety in anticipation of Gurley’s reinstatement this week.
But here’s the part I love best:
“UGA’s appeal will be heard by a separate committee, comprised of officials from other schools. The basis for the appeal is the mitigating circumstances, which UGA is hoping a different set of people will find sympathetic.”
Good luck with that, Greg.
http://www.macon.com/2014/10/29/3390877_ncaa-suspends-gurley-two-more.html
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where is the investigation into how Greg gave a promotion and raise to an unqualified AD staffer who was sleeping with her boss…seems a little more serious than a kid selling an autograph…….although I’m sure mcAllen and the like will continue sing the praises of our corrupt athletic department while criticizing any who dare go against the company line
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Yeah, the fact that Georgia moved JJ Green back with the DBs was the one indication that it would be a two game suspension (I tried to ignore the celebratory mood on this site last week–another sign that many of the “Book It,” know-it-all type posters have no more idea than the rest of us). Knowing what we know now about the case UGA delivered to the NCAA and the current state of our backfield, the Green move seems absurd. Begging the petty and bureaucratic NCAA for leniency was apparently our brilliant strategy?! I’m beginning to think that the UGA athletic department and the NCAA just like fucking with Georgia fans.
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I am one of those know it all fans. I read the tea leaves and they said “deal.” Boy was I wrong. Pass the fried crow. I guess I wanted so much to believe my school would stand up to the NCAA on behalf of one of its players that I just was blind to the truth-that McGarity is a spineless wimp and a coward.
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“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Todd’s going to finish with honor and he’s going to have a great finish to his career here at Georgia, whenever it ends,” Richt said. “But, yeah, I think he’s excited about finishing this season with his teammates.”
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We’re putting the band back together?!
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The NCAA requiring Todd Gurley to work 40 hours of community service as part of his reinstatement when A) he never broke any law B) the NCAA is not a legal body and has no legal authority C) the NCAA expressly forbids Todd or any other athlete from working a job of any kind to earn the kind of gas/beer/food money that would prevent him from needing to accept money for autographs from shady memorabilia dealers that got him in trouble with their obsolete antitrust rules in the first place, is fucking rich. If I were him I would sign autographs for 40 hours in exchange for donations to non-profit organizations in Tallahassee & Gainesville that provide support services for sexual assault victims- or to Cecil Netwon’s church- to further show the ridiculousness of the NCAA. I look forward to the day when the schools of the Power 5 conferences leave the NCAA & form thier own organization, thus rendering the NCAA as powerless and irrelevant as the NAIA.
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The way I see it, the Gurley situation brings up several different issues that must be looked at individually.
The particular NCAA rule stating that players can’t be compensated for their name and/or likeness.
The way that different member institutions deal with the NCAA when violations occur and how to handle them.
3b. NCAA violations vs. criminal charges.
I think these are all separate topics of discussion. Unfortunately, most of us are combining a few of these in some way and it just leads to talking in circles.
One thing that we can all agree on is that we are all frustrated about the fact that Todd Gurley is not playing football for UGA right now.
We are mad about the whole thing and everyone has different opinions on who to blame or be mad at the most. TG is a likable guy, is very exciting to watch play the game, and we don’t want to have a reason to assign any blame or have any negative feelings towards him.
The point that I, and I think a lot of people are trying to make, is that this system was in place when Todd Gurley accepted the scholarship to play for UGA under the rules of the NCAA and he knew the consequences of breaking those rules. He admitted breaking those rules which is commendable and certainly speaks to his character. But when it comes to the question of why he is not playing right now, the bottom line is that he knowingly broke a rule, (however questionable or immoral you think that rule may be is irrelevant here) and therefore one can not logically assign more blame for this whole thing happening at all to anyone other than Todd Gurley.
Todd Gurley is the one that brought this distraction on the team, ruined his chances at a Heisman, ruined the University’s chances of having another Heisman winner, and possibly cost his team and teammates some degree of success. By his own words, he seems to have acknowledged that and his behavior since this has all come to light has, by all accounts, been commendable and it is great to see a young man handling the consequences of his actions, regardless of whether or not anyone thinks those actions should warrant any punishment.
Adults and people of influence making excuses for a young person’s mistakes by blaming a larger entity is exactly the attitude that encourages the entitlement behavior exhibited by those like Jameis Winston, Aaron Hernandez, etc, etc, etc….
Again, topic #s 1, 2 and 3 are another story.
GO Dawgs! Beat Florida! And, TGIII, I can’t wait to see you on the field in Sanford Stadium on November 15 exacting revenge upon the Auburn Tigers!
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