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Georgia antagonists love to cite a well-worn quote from South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
“I sort of always liked playing (Georgia) that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended,” Spurrier told ESPN.com in 2012.
Heisman Trophy candidate and projected first-round prospect Todd Gurley is the latest suspended Bulldogs player. The running back could miss the rest of the season as an investigation into whether he received several hundred dollars for signing autographs commences.
Georgia’s running backs, in particular, have a difficult time staying on the field.
Since Knowshon, every UGA rushing leader has been suspended or kicked off the team. pic.twitter.com/yo1m5CEUWt
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 10, 2014
UGA gets targeted by fans and the media. Sometimes it’s relatively unfair — Alabama and Ole Miss, among other schools, have had a fair share of players with legal trouble in 2014, and don’t seem to catch as much flack. But there’s no denying this is a constant theme at Georgia under coach Mark Richt.
It’s hard to keep track of all the Georgia players arrested in recent years.
Still, linking Gurley’s suspension for pocketing a few Benjamin Franklins for his John Hancock isn’t comparable to sexual assault allegations, DUIs, actual theft or a myriad of other off-field crimes players have committed.
Gurley deserves some blame if UGA misses out on an SEC East title without him. He should’ve known better if the allegations prove true. It’s not like this is a new rule, and Johnny Manziel made sure every SEC star was aware of it last season with his half-game suspension.
It’s embarrassing for Georgia every time one of its players, especially a star, creates negative headlines, and it spawns a flurry of regurgitating the team’s past transgressions. But if anything, Gurley’s suspension could help his NFL stock, as his body is pretty fresh for an SEC running back.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
