Post by bfoley82 on Jul 11, 2023 17:33:21 GMT -5
From The Athletic
ATHENS, Ga. — It has been a difficult offseason for the Georgia football program since winning its second consecutive national championship, beginning with a tragic car accident that took the lives of a player and athletic department employee.
But recent reporting in an Atlanta newspaper that the school has taken sexual assault allegations lightly prompted coach Kirby Smart and school officials to hold a rare briefing with a group of media members Tuesday to defend themselves.
“We take these allegations extremely serious — I take these allegations extremely serious,” Smart said. “We do not tolerate sexual misconduct in our organization. I’m a football coach, I’m responsible for this program, and it starts with me. I see this through the lens of, I have a wife and a daughter. When I think about these situations, I think about them. It’s personal to me. But I will not tolerate false accusations that this program or this university condone sexual misconduct. We have no tolerance for sexual assault or abuse. Never have and never will.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that 11 players during Smart’s tenure remained with the team after women reported violent encounters to the police or university. The newspaper did not identify the 11 players and referenced incidents involving three players.
Athletic director Josh Brooks said “recent inaccurate and misleading reporting” led to Tuesday’s press briefing “to set the record straight.” Also on Tuesday, Georgia sent a demand for retraction to the AJC for the paper’s story that was published online on June 27 and in the print edition on July 2, via Michael Raeber general counsel for the University of Georgia Athletic Association.
He acknowledged problems existing with too many Georgia players driving too fast but said, “The recent media suggestion that the university and our program turn a blind eye to domestic abuse and sexual assault by ignoring reports or rewarding bad behavior is absolutely wrong. The three prominent examples used are misleading and irresponsible. The reporting conveniently minimizes the significant actions we have taken in direct response to address these matters. … None of these players ever took a single snap for us after being charged with a crime.”
He referenced a recruit (Jamaal Jarrett) who wasn’t charged; a second player (Adam Anderson) who was immediately suspended while being investigated for rape and ultimately dismissed; and a third player (Tray Bishop) who never played again after being charged for unlawful surveillance.
“As bad as this incident was, recent reporting by some does not match the facts of the case, which anyone would know from reading the police report in full,” Brooks said of Bishop.
How should Smart respond?
All of the things that have gone wrong for Georgia’s football program are not necessarily Smart’s fault, but the past several weeks should serve as a sign that he needs to ratchet up his messaging to players and be more transparent about discipline.
ATHENS, Ga. — It has been a difficult offseason for the Georgia football program since winning its second consecutive national championship, beginning with a tragic car accident that took the lives of a player and athletic department employee.
But recent reporting in an Atlanta newspaper that the school has taken sexual assault allegations lightly prompted coach Kirby Smart and school officials to hold a rare briefing with a group of media members Tuesday to defend themselves.
“We take these allegations extremely serious — I take these allegations extremely serious,” Smart said. “We do not tolerate sexual misconduct in our organization. I’m a football coach, I’m responsible for this program, and it starts with me. I see this through the lens of, I have a wife and a daughter. When I think about these situations, I think about them. It’s personal to me. But I will not tolerate false accusations that this program or this university condone sexual misconduct. We have no tolerance for sexual assault or abuse. Never have and never will.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that 11 players during Smart’s tenure remained with the team after women reported violent encounters to the police or university. The newspaper did not identify the 11 players and referenced incidents involving three players.
Athletic director Josh Brooks said “recent inaccurate and misleading reporting” led to Tuesday’s press briefing “to set the record straight.” Also on Tuesday, Georgia sent a demand for retraction to the AJC for the paper’s story that was published online on June 27 and in the print edition on July 2, via Michael Raeber general counsel for the University of Georgia Athletic Association.
He acknowledged problems existing with too many Georgia players driving too fast but said, “The recent media suggestion that the university and our program turn a blind eye to domestic abuse and sexual assault by ignoring reports or rewarding bad behavior is absolutely wrong. The three prominent examples used are misleading and irresponsible. The reporting conveniently minimizes the significant actions we have taken in direct response to address these matters. … None of these players ever took a single snap for us after being charged with a crime.”
He referenced a recruit (Jamaal Jarrett) who wasn’t charged; a second player (Adam Anderson) who was immediately suspended while being investigated for rape and ultimately dismissed; and a third player (Tray Bishop) who never played again after being charged for unlawful surveillance.
“As bad as this incident was, recent reporting by some does not match the facts of the case, which anyone would know from reading the police report in full,” Brooks said of Bishop.
How should Smart respond?
All of the things that have gone wrong for Georgia’s football program are not necessarily Smart’s fault, but the past several weeks should serve as a sign that he needs to ratchet up his messaging to players and be more transparent about discipline.