May 14, 2003
Nine more Bulldogs ruled ineligible
The NCAA has issued a preliminary ruling that nine Georgia football players will be ineligible for the upcoming season for selling their SEC championship rings. While the NCAA permits the students to sell their rings, they cannot receive more than "fair-market value".
According to ESPN.com, the Bulldog players are "senior receiver Michael Johnson and cornerbacks Kenny Bailey and Bruce Thornton, junior receiver Fred Gibson and four sophomores -- defensive tackle Darrius Swain, linebacker Tony Taylor, cornerback Tim Jennings, freshman nose-tackle Kedric Golston and walk-on Trey Young."
What the hell with these guys? Georgia wins it's first title since 1982 (twenty years!) and these guys are running down to rings-r-us to pick up their checks? I'm not shocked, really. I don't expect that all the players on the team will have a real sense of history/belonging/community with the university, per se. I just kinda expected that they would realize that they might want to hang on to these rings and show their kids some day.
It's not just the kids fault, though. Some of this has to go on Richt. (Disclosure - I love Mark Richt. He's one of the absolute best in the country - top 5 easy.)
Coach Richt said, "I think as a football program and as an athletic program we have to do a better job of educating our student-athletes on the worth of achievement awards, which far transcend monetary value.''
Gee, that sounds great...now. Where the hell was that when you were passing out the rings?! Does anyone think that if Coach Richt had said that when he handed each kid his ring that they would have been selling them within a few weeks of winning the title?
The Georgia Boosters need to be all over Coach Richt. You've got nine players ruled ineligible, you've got five more football players arrested on drug charges, four more players suspended by Richt, and sophomore Randall Swoops "mutually agreeing" to transfer to Georgia Military College for the fall.
Hello? Does anyone see a troubling pattern developing here? Can anyone say "institutional control"? If I were a booster, I think I'd be on the phone with Vince Dooley - otherwise it might be even longer before UGA is even eligible to field a team for a title.
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Comments & Trackbacks
Kevin says:
posted on May 15, 2003 02:27 AM — linkAccording to the reports, the University is not releasing the amount each player was paid - other than to say it was more than market value. They have also said that each player would need to repay the money. Not sure if they mean all the money or just the money in excess of the fair value.
Where's Judge Wopner when you really need him?!
Bacon says:
posted on May 16, 2003 01:29 PM — linkI heard some Ole Miss players also got in trouble for selling their championship rings. Fraud charges are pending!
Kevin says:
posted on May 16, 2003 01:52 PM — linkAssuming your comment is not a joke (which it might be), they shoud charge the Ole Miss kids with fraud - what the heck did they win?!
