Georgia football coach Mark Richt got all righteous during a meeting of “Bulldog faithful” in South Carolina last week. First, Richt drew attention for calling out the practice of over-signing, which is an unethical yet commonly-used practice employed by Nick Saban most notably. The he took an idealistic stand against the world of college football according to the Ledger-Enquirer, saying “There’s been a bit too much of the winning at all costs in college football and I hope the tide turns in the other direction.”
I love Richt’s righteous approach and wish more programs followed the rules and put winning behind ethics, but I know that’s unrealistic. However, I wouldn’t complain about someone preaching about morals if the remarks hadn’t come from someone who is ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROBLEM.
Georgia is notorious for its football team having run-ins with the law. From 2008-2010, the program had 25 arrests, all documented by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The charges ranged from DUI to battery to hit and run to theft, so they vary in severity, but there is little doubt Georgia fostered a team of criminals. Think about it, they didn’t take come EDSBS’ coveted Fulmer Cup for nothing; a lot of hard work went into winning that title. We even noted a few of the arrests back in 2008, pointing out that the arrests indicated Georgia was in mid-season form.
And honestly, if you want to talk about winning at all costs, who can forget the honorable gesture of a Georgia assistant giving an opposing kicker the choke sign before he attempted a field goal against them. But maybe we should forgive the coaches and players. After all, they may be taking their lead from this man.
Preach on, Brother Richt, and don’t let a little thing like facts get in the way of your ideals.
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