Notalot No. 1 Share Posted July 2, 2023 The Atlanta Journal Constitution is running an investigative series on careless controls within the football program. /resizer/uX3y52XpUtukavLwu2MnU91olYo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DT4L6YYMUBCO7JG3O5U2W4NQJQ.jpg ‘Out of control’: Reckless culture off the field marks UGA football team WWW.AJC.COM Under head coach Kirby Smart, dozens of UGA players have been cited for excessive speeding, reckless driving, racing or other serious traffic offenses, an investigation by The Atlanta... Behind The Red And Black: Underbelly Of Back-To-Back National Champ Georgia Not So Pretty Amid Assault Accusations – OutKick WWW.OUTKICK.COM Georgia football program needs some work off the field. Georgia football hit with more allegations THECOMEBACK.COM The Georgia Bulldogs face even more allegations of a program being out of control as head coach Kirby Smart remains quiet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 2 Share Posted July 2, 2023 I think every top performing team has these kinds of issues. Rape allegations are serious. High profile rape allegations often do not end with justice, being tried in the court of public opinion seldom do. They also seem to stain many close to the alleged perpetrator and victim. Sad but true. UGA is at the top of the moutain. Everything that happens on top of the hill is in the spotlight. Tough to get there and tough to stay. How KS responds to these stories with be interesting. It could bring him to his knees. My advice would be that when in doubt, do nothing, say nothing publicly. Tighten down on expectations in off field behaviors and keep it private. If KS is part of the problem, UGA has some decisions to make. Winning and power can be intoxicating. Hope KS gets control of the situation. I like him, he is a good coach. Its also interesting who wrote these stories. Bama and LSU alum. Is "grain of salt" appropriate here? Maybe. Going to be interesting to watch this unfold. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 3 Share Posted July 2, 2023 L-H, great post. I look back on Barry Switzer's teams at Oklahoma, Some bad actors in Norman. And the OK players' conduct does not stand alone. But this type of behavior does not ipso facto have to follow success. For the most part, you do not see this stuff with Nick Saban's teams. And yes, Ohio State athletes scored tattoos but overall the behavior in Columbus has not been anywhere close to what we have witnessed at Georgia. So right that if you are at the top the spotlight will be shined on you and your program. The AJC is not going to run a series of articles on the Georgia State program no matter how bad the team's conduct might be. And young men receiving endless praise is a recipe for trouble. So far, I think that Coach Smart has been too willing to sluff off behavior that has resulted not just in troublesome conduct but in tragic deaths. There are bad actors on every roster but these people do not have to define your roster; especially, if teammates are also attuned to clamping down on bad behavior. And you are also spot on in noting that nothing Smart says will eradicate bad behavior, deeds and not talk are what matter. But bringing him to his knees? In the SEC? I don't see this happening. Typically when a player in the SEC goes off the rails he is benched for the East-West-North-South State game. I do see the circulation of AJC on the decline in Athens, Georgia. Man, it's a long off-season. Play Ball! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 4 Share Posted July 3, 2023 First and 10: Forget defending the national title, Kirby Smart needs to defend Georgia’s honor first WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM It's time for Kirby Smart to own Georgia's offseason and announce how he's going to fix his program's suddenly rancid off-field culture. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 5 Share Posted July 3, 2023 Jimbo Fisher had a problem at FSU that reminds me of this. Jimbo didn't fix his program... He just left for a bigger paycheck. They hired Willie Taggart from us... So I'm cool with that. Granted, I've never really thought about it until now how bad that programs culture must of been when he took over it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 6 Share Posted July 3, 2023 I will not cast stones, as every program has these issues. I am just glad when we get through an off-season without Ducks shooting air guns at people, stealing laptops, etc. It has to be even harder for Georgia with such a talent-rich roster. The 5- Star players bring 5-Star egos, 5-Star NIL, 5-Star problems with 1-Star judgment. And this is what we KNOW about… Good luck Kirby, as you are now in the minefield of public opinion, and so many would love to see the two-time national champ get knocked down a notch. Maybe from right there in the SEC! 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck No. 7 Share Posted July 4, 2023 I can only imagine with all this NIL money this will become a bigger issue. Imagine if Cliff wasn't just in a rented Nissan, but a Dodge Charger. He also may have been able to afford more pot, and the famous line, 'we smoked it all" never would have happened. How fast would have Cliff been driving in a car made to go fast? I say we throw no stones, it just a matter of time. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 8 Share Posted July 4, 2023 I read the AJC story and was dismayed by the behavior of the Georgia recruit in question who exhibited thuggish behavior in my opinion. But this one case hardly means that Kirby has lost control of the program or doesn't take sexual and/or domestic violence cases seriously. When charged in 2018 I believe for domestic violence Kirby immediately dismissed the Dawgs top wide receiver. Last year, he immediately dismissed Georgia's top sack master and almost certain first-round draft pick who was indicted for rape and immediately dismissed from the team Two earlier domestic violators were immediately dismissed and welcomed with open arms by Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.. By the way, my friend, who is a rabid Bama fan is very critical of the Bama staff for its permissiveness and the Tuscaloosa police for looking the other way at violations by Alabama football and basketball players. You don't hear a lot from Tuscaloosa because nobody comes down on the players. Auto racing and driving misconduct: Yeah Georgia has a big problem. But I'll say this about the recruit who was not charged for his conduct: He is on a very short leash and will be gone if there is any repetition of the allegations made, whether or not he is formally charged by the police. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 9 Share Posted July 4, 2023 Is it just my imagination or has Alabama police always been in Sabin’s hip pocket. Also before Sabin. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 10 Share Posted July 4, 2023 Just Ducky you aren't imagining anything. My sources in Tuscaloosa contend that it is crystal clear that the Tuscaloosa police apply one set of laws to football and basketball players and another set of laws to the rank and file public. Interestingly, many posters on the Georgia blogs believe that both the Athens and the University police have it out for Georgia football players by arresting them for various forms of misconduct. They also think that the AJC is biased against the football team for investigating allegations. I have argued on these aforementioned blogs that both the cops and the AJC investigative reporters are simply doing their jobs and need to continue to do it. That brings me a hell of a lotta down votes from fellow commenters, but if you can't count on the police and the free press, we are all in trouble. Having said that, there is little evidence that Kirby looks the other way on sexual and domestic violence incidents and ample evidence to the contrary. And...the latest incident involving the 16-year-old recruit and the older women who solicited contact with him far in advance of the evening in question has been overblown by the AJC. An Athens friend who is an attorney and hardly a protector of football players, told me that more damning charge that could have been levied in this incident was soliciting or even statutory rape against the woman. The Athens police, wisely in my opinion, elected to file no charges in this "he said, she said" incident. Having said all this, I would still prefer to see stronger sanctions applied to misbehaving athletes and have them be public rather than internal. And believe me, I am in NO way tolerant of sexual misconduct of any kind. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
