And here comes the spin.

Chip Towers:

Georgia coach Kirby Smart called for a media briefing Tuesday with select reporters to discuss what has been a controversial offseason off the field for the reigning, two-time national champion Bulldogs.

The hastily called meeting – which was scheduled with less than 22 hours’ notice – came exactly one week before Smart and three of his players are scheduled to appear before more than 1,000 media members attending SEC Football Media Days in Nashville on July 18. The Bulldogs’ eighth-year coach clearly wanted to do what he could to redirect a negative narrative that has surrounded his program since the two members of it were killed in a fiery crash on the January night of the team’s national championship celebration.

Flanked to his right by Athletic Director Josh Brooks and deputy AD Darrice Griffin and to his left by Qiana Wilson, director of UGA’s Equal Opportunuty Office, Smart alleged that “false accusations” have been levied against his program regarding sexual misconduct or abuse.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation into the football program that was launched after a UGA player and an athletic department employee died in a high-speed, alcohol-involved car crash Jan. 15 revealed a pattern of unlawful behavior by players, who benefit from an internal system designed to render them immediate legal assistance.

The AJC has identified 11 players during Smart’s eight-year tenure who remained with the team after women reported violent encounters to the police, to the university, or to both. In some instances, particularly those involving domestic violence, the police either filed no charges or prosecutors allowed players to plead guilty to lesser charges. Some players were dismissed. Those include star outside linebacker Adam Anderson, who is awaiting trial on two separate rape charges.

UGA did not dispute that number, but took issue with the characterization that its policies create a permissive culture.

Pretty funky 1-2 punch there.  Judd accuses Smart of failing to accept responsibility and Chip takes Smart’s attempt to accept responsibility as a calculated step to redirect the narrative that the AJ-C has established.

This has a long way to go, in other words.

“We do not write to you lightly…”

Whoa, Nelly.

The University of Georgia sent a Demand for Retraction letter regarding coverage from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, specifically for a story written by Alan Judd entitled: UGA football program rallies when players accused of abusing women.

It’s not your ordinary letter.  It’s a nine-page letter written by the Athletic Association’s General Counsel.  And it doesn’t pull any punches.

“Mr. Judd’s article is replete with errors, unsubstantiated allegations, innuendo, and possibly even fabrications,” the letter read in part. “We do not write to you lightly; we are accustomed to the rough scrutiny of a robust press, and we appreciate its central importance in a free society.

“But this article stands out in its reckless disregard for the truth and its imposition of a damaging narrative unsupported by the facts.”

…Judd wrote that the AJC identified 11 players during Smart’s tenure as head coach who remained on the team after women reported violent encounters to police, the university or to both. However, the letter claimed the story identified just two players by name and another without naming him.

“Nothing this discrepancy and skeptical of the claim, we asked Mr. Judd to provide a full list of the eleven players that meet his description,” the letter read. “He initially responded he was away from his office without his files but would respond when he returned to the office.

“After repeated follow-ups, Mr. Judd refused to provide the list. He claims the AJC has a ‘policy’ not to ‘release unpublished information,’ although he has not provided a copy of or citation to this policy. Even if such a policy exists, the AJC did publish this information.”

The timing of the letter is perhaps the most fascinating part of it.  SEC Media Days take place next week; clearly Smart is prepared to make this a very public issue.

War has been declared, in other words.  Right or wrong, I’m not sure I see anybody backing down for now.  But this offseason promises to be anything but boring.

**************************************************************************

UPDATE:  If you’re looking for a precursor to next week, you don’t have to look very far.  UGA held a presser today about this and here’s some of what Smart had to say.

“We take these allegations extremely serious, OK? Me personally, I take these allegations extremely serious. We do not tolerate sexual misconduct in our organization,” Smart said. “I’m a football coach. I’m responsible for this program, and that starts with me. I see this as a topic through the lens of I have a wife and I have a daughter, and I think about these situations when I think about them. It’s very personal to me, OK?

“I can handle a lot of talk. What I cannot and will not tolerate is false accusations that this program or this university condones sexual misconduct, OK? No tolerance for sexual assault or abuse. Never have [and] never will we have that.”

On the firing line

Here’s who Kirby is bringing along with him to SEC Media Days:

Georgia player attendees at SEC Media Days on Tuesday July 18 in Nashville: TE Brock Bowers, CB Kamari Lassiter and C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger

— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) July 10, 2023

What’s the over/under on the number of times they get asked by the media about reckless driving?

The wrong stuff

If Tony Barnhart earned the label “Mr. Conventional Wisdom” for constantly trying to make the obvious sound profound, what nickname should be affixed to this gimbus?

I hate this. Pat Fitzgerald is a good human who cared about his players deeply. He ran his program the right way and has a stellar reputation. I have never heard anyone have a bad thing to say about him. This feels wrong.

— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) July 10, 2023

Does this sound like someone who “ran his program the right way”? Just a profoundly stupid take.

Although I can’t help but wonder if Danny’s opinion would be different if Fitzgerald coached in the SEC…