Saturdays in Athens is Back!

No one could blame Georgia head coach Kirby Smart for wanting a quiet summer after his team’s second successive National Championship in January. But a quiet summer is not what Kirby has had.

The program was already under the microscope following the car crash in January which killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and staffer Chandler Lecroy. More bad news was to come when it transpired that star defensive lineman Jalen Carter had been arrested in connection with reckless driving and speeding which contributed to the same car crash. Carter was later charged with reckless driving and is serving a twelve months probation.

However this was not the end. Next was sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson also arrested for racing on city streets and for reckless driving, this time in March.

Which prompted many to ask about the culture within the UGA program. But no more so than the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or AJC as it’s better known in Georgia.

The AJC is a well known media outlet in Georgia with a large sports coverage team. They cover all football in the state, including and specifically Georgia football. 

The AJC published an article based on their investgation into a series of cover ups within the Georgia football program involving alleged sexual assaults. The article states that the University of Georgia administration did not take the allegations seriously, covering them up, with all of the accused still remaining on the football roster with no obvious repercussions.

While the report had enough headline interest to grab people’s attention, the main article was behind a paywall – meaning many didn’t read the detail – or lack of – behind the allegations. This allowed for widespread speculation about what was going on within the program. And with this speculation came widespread criticism and condemnation that Georgia’s success had come at a cost. Whether the AJC has any meaningful evidence remains to be seen, with the initial article lacking much detail. However speculation amongst media circles is that the AJC seems to be on something of a crusade against Kirby Smart and his program.

As criticism grew it was clear that the school would need to respond, and a robust statement was issued in its defence:

“The University of Georgia and athletic association consider any allegation of sexual assault or domestic abuse to be a very serious matter, and we take swift and appropriate action in response to allegations when warranted by law enforcement or internal investigations. This policy is applied universally across our university community to students, student-athletes, staff and personnel. Student-athletes are subject to the exact same disciplinary process as other students, and in addition, face further athletic program disciplinary measures, which can include suspension and dismissal from the team.”

It remains to be seen if any further detail is forthcoming in the next few weeks. One thing that seems certain is the focus on Georgia during SEC media days in a couple of weeks isn’t necessarily going to be on football.

#GoDawgs