And if the Georgia program doesn’t already have enough on its plate, it’s now time to deal with Thomas Mars.
Tom Mars, the attorney who represented Patterson and more than 30 college athletes in the last six months, is doing the same for Fields in conjunction with Ohio State’s athletic department.
Outside speculation about a rationale for Fields’ case that would pass NCAA muster centers on an incident at the Sept. 29 Georgia-Tennessee game in which a Georgia baseball player, Adam Sasser, repeatedly yelled a racial slur invoking Fields.
“I’m very confident that the NCAA will grant Justin a waiver so he can play next season, but not just for the reasons people have speculated about on social media,” Mars said in a statement to The Dispatch. “There’s more to it than that.”
Mars did not elaborate on potential other factors.
Hey, it’s not just about racism! That’s a relief.
Get The Picture 
Thanks Adam!
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Adam’s actions were really stupid, but if he didn’t exist, Mars would still find an incident to hype.
Those who believe they’ve done the kid a favor by guiding him in this direction (I believe and we’ll see) have hurt him.
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You mean Jake
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“There’s more to it than that.”
That’s the biggest pile of BS I’ve seen since this process started. If Georgia was such a terrible place to be a student-athlete, why has his sister signed to play softball?
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The sister argument is pretty stupid, but you guys keep making it.
Its pretty obvious that one place can be bad for one person and not someone else. Even if that other person is related.
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Sorry, but I don’t agree. She signed her LOI after the Sasser incident occurred. If there was some institutional problem, you would have thought their parents would have told her she wasn’t going to UGA.
I only wish they would be honest about the situation and say it’s about playing time. If that were the case and he received permission for a hardship transfer, I would accept it. Otherwise, it’s throwing as much $#!+ against the wall and seeing what sticks.
All of this from someone who believes the transfer rules should be reformed.
I don’t care if he goes to aOSU … I care deeply that his lawyer is going to drag UGA through the mud to get his way.
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A place can be good for one person and bad for another person. You disagree with that?
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No one is arguing against that position. But there are a lot more dynamics at play with the sister angle. SHE signed after the Sasser incident. She isn’t just some other person, she is HIS sister. It’s not that she’s just a student on a campus of 36,000; she’s on the SOFTBALL team, which occupies the same limited social and academic circle as the baseball team and other athletic teams. To pretend that her situation is totally separate and differentiable from his is delusional.
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They are in fact different people having different experiences.
He shouldn’t get a waiver because of his sister’s decision is a pretty poor argument in this case.
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I would contend it might possibly now get worse for his sister. There will be resentment for her about this transfer mud slinging.
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Not one person has argued that he shouldn’t get a waiver due to his sister being comfortable at UGA. It’s simply drawing attention to the absurdity of the presumed argument he, Ohio State and Mars will use in his waiver request. It’s an argument that will more than likely gain him immediate eligibility. But the situation with his sister is one of many that requires you to suspend all rational thinking if you’re to believe he isn’t transferring primarily due to playing time. Arguing against a false narrative is not the same as claiming the false narrative won’t be accepted at face value. People are allowed to be annoyed that this kind of contrived bullshit that takes aim at the university is the manner in which this is proceeding.
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What he’s saying is… if UGA is systemically racially insensitive then why allow your daughter to go there? Your position is weak.
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His sister isn’t known and recognized by every person on campus. One has nothing to do with the other.
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I agree that the sister argument though telling to the casual observer, would not even be allowed in court. They are individual people and what one does, feels, accomplishes, desires, cannot be impressed on the other no matter how logical it is to us. The whole thing is a pile of bullshit and everyone with any sense knows it. So will the NCAA. The only question will be does the NCAA want to do the right thing or does the NCAA want to do the politically expedient thing? Same for UGA if the rhetoric gets too hot.. They’ll just fold and give Fields what he wants. In the big scheme of things..he’s gone so it’s really no big deal.
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No man, UGA is so institutionally racist that it sent a star first baseman packing for using a racial slur. How much more Jim Crow can you get?
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Georgia is bad for little Justin because little Justin couldn’t beat out a better quarterback!
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I’m guessing that he’s coming after Kirby & the UGAA in some way. Maybe how JF was handled by the coaches. I’ve heard/read of the dad being at practices, so maybe there’s something that happened w/ all that.
The bottom-line is it seems like they’re threatening a scorched earth tactic to hurt Kirby & UGA on the recruiting trail. Maybe it’s poker or maybe they really believe they have something of substance.
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It has nothing to do with racism, that is a sad smokescreen by a pitbull lawyer. A single voice crying amongst 93K wasn’t heard by Fields, not did he ever not feel loved by those enrolled at the institution. The sister’s commitment is certainly relevant to that allegation, but the allegation is absurd.
The stronger, and more fuzzy point will be what he was promised by Kirby and staff. Difficult to prove a he/said they/said but the strange way he was used looks crazy to everyone. I don’t see Kirby giving out information about his inadequacies as a QB being the reason for his limited opportunities but he my guess Fields was further behind than they realized during his recruitment and they probably did plan to use him more. All about how that was stated, and interpreted. NCAA should shrug on both or risk the consequences of free agency in the hands of teenagers. Don’t really understand Fields taking this road of selecting ohio. He could have been assured a playing role with other options, this choice makes it riskier to never achieve his goals (Mustain).
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Agree…
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Or the claim will be that it’s about more racism!
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This was my take.
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My take also.
Almost certain to be bullshit, though.
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^^This. Any notion that it will be anything except the race card is completely naive.
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Depends on what else it is.
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I hope somebody fed Fields a plate of chicken shit and told him it was salad. I contend that he didn’t leave without knowing his waiver would be approved. How that knowledge was affirmed and in what form, I haven’t a clue. But he doesn’t leave Athens for Columbus without some guarantees. IMO
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If UGA pulled his scholarship, would he have had a free transfer?
If so, they probably should have done so to avoid this.
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My take is that the negative pub our way has come and gone. I think fields has more to lose by making the argument long term because everyone knows it’s bullshit. It won’t endear him to anyone to use this as the reason he’s in Columbus. Plenty of racist assholes in Columbus.
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Can’t wait to see your reaction when Alinsky like tactics are used to attack everything UGA and this becomes all about social justice. Who you gonna cheer for as we are dragged through the mud.
Or as the Senator assured us… don’t get your right wing panties in a wad cause this is all about pressuring the ncaa.
Let me know when my knee should start jerking.
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Seriously, you’re the one being the attack dog here. He probably could have worded it better (as in, nobody really worries what “the racists” in Columbus actually think). I think the point is that if Fields is trying to win over a locker room vs a 3rd year guy who is not without his own hot takes (hello locker room division) WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY waging a third-rail political war in the media, where is the room left in one’s life to be “the man” he seems to think he is ? I could not juggle all that.
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Whoever advising this kid is a big ‘ol puss. Not teaching him right. “Whaaa- we couldn’t beat our Fromm so we’re getting our lawyer involved!”
They just put a pair of Pampers on him.
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It’s looking more and more that way.
Maybe he’ll grow up and tell his ill advisers to get out of his business.
As it stands, they are screwing up his life…What’s he going to do when and if Martel beats him out? Martel doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that takes prisoners.
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To me, Martel seems terrified of competition. All of the “you better not come here” tweets don’t really paint the picture of a QB confident in his ability to be the unquestioned #1 guy.
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Good point and one I actually had made a while back. I said Martel is afraid of Fields and he may be. Fields has a great upside if he can just get it all together…not that many UGA fans will GAS if he does or doesn’t. He left.
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The article said that not approving the waiver would be giving tacit acceptance of the behavior by Sasser. Even though Justin didn’t hear it he was still affected by it. I will bet a soda pop to anyone here that his waiver gets approval easily. Too much opportunity for negative publicity.
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In any event, the job of an attorney is to protect and advance the interests of their client by any legal means necessary, so I expect no one around here will question the tactics. It’s just business.
Additionally, most here are of the mindset that the players are abused by a multi-billion dollar industry that subjugates them and that they should be granted the same rights as coaches to freely transfer from team to team. So I assume most will embrace Fields’ claims and tactics in giving him equal footing.
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“by any legal means necessary.” Untrue for the vast majority of lawyers who keep their heads down and operate with a controlled fear of an Ethics violation.
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Do you know what legal means?
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Do you know what “any” means ? Legal does not always mean ethical.
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I think everyone wished him well originally but if he drags the university through the mud, he will have used up all his goodwill.
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“I think everyone wished him well originally”
You must be new to this blog.
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Has anyone checked in on the Dawgvent? I’m sure that fever swamp is handling it all with great grace and dignity.
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Thanks for your input Mitt. Does your dog still travel on the roof of your car.
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I agree with you. If he wanted to go, fine. But to drag the university through the mud isn’t necessary or appreciated.
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Apparently, it is in order to play in 2019. I don’t blame the kid. I think everybody at every level knows it’s bullshit. But it will work.
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On the other hand, I’ve always been of the opinion that it is unfair that coaches can leave without sitting out so players should too. I know why the NCAA does it so that transfers are not mass chaos but still unfair disparity.
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I’m wondering if he is going to claim he was going to play baseball… seriously.
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Probably will be the case used, felt he could not trust future team mates etc. Weak and I hope NCAA makes him play baseball at Ohio St. if he does.
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I’m sure Coach Day is going to let him skip spring ball to be on the baseball field.
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Al Sharpton on line two Pablo.
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One sure way to escape racism – – move to Ohio. Where all those dummies with their stupid little tiki torches, marching around Charlottesville statues and running over someone with their car live. Quite the welcoming, heterogeneous utopia of tolerance.
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Don’t see it going very far to hurt UGA. The football team is like 60-70% black, clearly if there was a racial issue in the UGA culture Fields would not have been the first to make a fuss about it. Yes, the one baseball player said racist stuff, but that would not be the first time some idiot in the stands of a game said something really dumb. If he wants to ride that to not having to sit a year that’s fine, but he needs to be told that it will surely place a stigma around him going forward. How many teams will want him in the NFL if they feel he may try to play the race card if not getting his way?
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Depends on his stats I guess…
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You knocked that one out of the park!
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So let me get this straight, this lawyer is going to suggest that one voice in a crowd of 92,000 people yelled a racist slur and that would justify Fields not having to sit for a year?!?
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well b/c it was posted on Facebook it then became a viral story on campus. The argument will be that this created a “hostile environment” for him on campus or as it pertains to the baseball team.
Not endorsing but this is a pretty straightforward set of facts from an attorney’s point of view
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You could see that was coming. I anticipate that UGA’s reaction will be to enthusiastically agree with Mr. Mars, lest the cry go up of racism (more than it already has).
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Didn’t he issue a thanks to the Georgia community just last week? This is amazing!
Oh, by the way….
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“Fields has good case to play immediately for Ohio State, lawyer says” What the hell else is he going to say? “Well, I know the family hired me to make him eligible immediately, but our case really sucks.”
Whole lot of assumptions being thrown around here about what that means. And, while the NCAA might want to avoid the bad looks on anything to do with racism, it also very much wants to avoid a transfer free-for-all.
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Ohio State last year watched a basketball player go to NC State and play immediately. They watched a running back do the same at UNC. Neither was a grad transfer.
This is becoming pretty common.
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They watched a 5 star WR leave Cal and play at UGA immediately.
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Albeit for like one game, haha.
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Not a playing time issue … family illness … just like Luke Ford.
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well I sort of doubt that his waiver request will be made on the grounds of lack of playing time.
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D-Rob’s wasn’t either. He wanted to come back home and his grandmother(?) is in failing health. Exactly like Ford’s grandfather.
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I also believe that D-Rob had missed a majority of the season with an injury at Cal, so you could argue he would’ve fallen close to the 4 game redshirt threshold if it were 2018 instead of 2017. Either way, it’s all a bunch of shit and he’ll likely get approved for immediate eligibility. Good luck and hope he starts learning how to read defenses better.
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I just became a HUGE Tate Martell guy.
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All of this is just checking off stupid NCAA boxes. It’s not making headlines anywhere anymore outside of Georgia blogs. I don’t get the angst.
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I agree. This is on Adam Sasser, not UGA. Fields and his attorney are just taking advantage of a big ole hanging curve ball. Please, just let him play already. He’s not at UGA anymore and not at one of our opponents so I could care less.
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dawgfan..Fields wanted out….and not because of Sasser. That’s just a damn excuse and if he didn’t have it would be something else.
This is on Fields. He’s a prima donna that thought he should go to the front of the line.
While Sasser did something he should certainly be ashamed of, it’s not the reason Fields left..it’s an excuse to leave.
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Fields transferring is his choice. Having this dirtbag of a lawyer play the racism card is pure garbage.
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but is also exactly the rules of the game. The schools and coaches all wanted this system. UGA has benefited from this system and will benefit in the future.
UGA should let the NCAA know that they 100% on board with his waiver and dont wish to drag this out.
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Total Horse Shit
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Don’t put it past Mars to demand an obscene monetary settlement from UGA soon…knowing that racism is something a successful football program cannot have attached to it’s reputation.
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I don’t disagree with the general sentiment here, but Mars may take on the NCAA directly about this issue and many will stand and applaud. Chaney’s departure adds fuel to the fire of “coaches can leave but the kids can’t” argument.
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The NCAA has to know this same racist BS can be mimicked and staged by any athlete, on any campus, every year. It can be said to happen in any bar, restaurant, dorm, academic buildings, etc. It can be setup with an accomplice and videoed on a phone. This is too simplistic and silly for them to not require more.
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Nah. They don’t want negative headlines. This entire process has zero to do with fact finding and teasing out true motives. It’s a fig leaf to accommodate free agent transfers without opening Pandora’s Box (from their perspective) completely.
Mars’s job is to find a common ground where the NCAA and Georgia can sign off on the transfer and claim it’s a one-off unique to Justin Fields. Sounds like all sides are already in tacit agreement on that front. Paperwork will flow, story over.
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UGA fans: Demetris Robertson is eligible immediately – score!!!!
also UGA fans: wahhh!! wahhh!! Justin Fields, wahhh!!!
some of you need to take a look in the mirror. you’re fine with the NCAA treating these kids like dirt and suppressing their earnings by whatever means (and bullshit arguments, just look at their filings in the latest lawsuit) they can. when a kid does it so they can play a different school of their choosing (thus spurning our beloved UGA), it’s the end of the world. get a life and let this kid move on and play.
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I think these guys should be able to transfer and play without the goober waivers, particularly given the way coaches can freely switch gigs, but the Robertson and Fields situations are not the same.
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If Fields gets the waiver, Eason would have good reason to be pissed.
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Why? Will he do a forehead slap and say: “Damn. I could swear I heard someone say “Honky” once while I was on the team. I should have gotten a lawyer.”
The transfer rules are what they are, until the NCAA is forced to change them. I don’t agree with them but…
If Fields is going to take his ball and go home every time some drunken asshole throws an insult from the stands he won’t last very long no matter where he goes.
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Cow, they are friends to this day. Adam regrets saying that word at the game…he has and will continue to pay dearly for his mistake.
As I stated many months ago after this event, let’s wish Adam well and support his efforts going forward, for we have all made mistakes in our lives!
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Why not? A derogatory slur of any kind (skin color, ethnicity, geographical origin, body shape, religious preference, sexual preference, etc.) should have the exact same treatment. A honky, cracker, redneck is a term used to put someone down, where do you draw the line? Certainly can’t be just for people of color or gays? Hate speech is hate speech, and it crosses all lines—both ways.
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Eason taking a redshirt was smart … why take a mop-up snaps behind Jake Browning when you could sit and get ready to be the starter in 2019 with 2 years of eligibility?
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Maybe I’m confused on Eason’s eligibility. The year that players sit out after transfer is not optional, correct? So is that a redshirt of some sort and smart or not, he really didn’t have a choice? Not being contrarian, of course. Just curious.
Side note: I am looking forward to seeing Eason play and hope he shows out. Justin Fields, transferring to OSU on the other hand, is dead to me.
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The rule is you are not eligible to play. If you have a redshirt to burn, you can be redshirted for the year you sit. We did exactly this with Jarvis Jones in 2010 after his transfer from the real USC. Eason has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
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Ah. The year sat uses a year of eligibility. I was under the impression it didn’t count towards that.
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Eason used 2 years of eligibility at Georgia. The rule change on maintaining a redshirt while playing in fewer than 4 games became effective for this year’s players.
He went to Washington with 3 years to play 2. That’s why I thought it was smart of Peterson and Eason to redshirt rather than petition for immediate eligibility.
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I even wonder if Eason could’ve used an injury redshirt to pick-up a 6th year giving him 3 years of eligibility at Washington. Technically, he was injured for the first third/half of his Sophomore season at UGA, so who knows.
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This can’t be about money. Otherwise, Fields would be at Auburn.
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