Richt’s Turn at the Podium

(Source: YardBarker.com)

AJC Georgia beat writer Tim Tucker has a piece up on the Day 2 of the SEC Media Days, specifically Mark Richt’s time at the podium. As expected, the developing NCAA investigation that recently strolled into Athens dominates the article. As a whole, not much has been broken on this investigation other than NCAA is apparently looking at AJ Green…Sports Illustrated has a quote from AJ that denies the claim of him attending the South Beach Party…Meanwhile, TMZ reports otherwise. At this point, it seems unlikely that AJ committed any wrongdoing, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.

Regardless, Richt addressed other issues during his time in the spotlight. Richt gave the usual banter about being the UGA football coach is a strenuous job and that the team had the best offseason ever with a ton of new excitement surrounding the program. One quote in particular grasped my attention: “Everything I’ve seen so far makes me think we’re going to have what it takes from an emotional standpoint, a physical standpoint.” Combine that with a quote from an earlier Bulldog Club meeting in which Richt suggested the 2010 version of the team had “the right stuff” and there is reason for optimism. Richt is usually pretty guarded, but seems to be generally encouraged by what he has seen so far.

And if you’re keeping score at home: Marvin Austin (UNC), Marcell Dareus (Bama), Weslye Saunders (South Carolina), and AJ Green (UGA) have all been inquired about by the NCAA. We can only imagine this is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Hopefully these players are all exonerated from this investigation rather quickly.