This does not look good. As if Georgia football's loss to Ole Miss on Saturday couldn't get any worse, a new video has surfaced showing what appears to be No. 22 Jake Pope celebrating with Ole Miss fans on the field after the Rebels downed Georgia 28-10.
There really is no defending this moment. It is very clear that Pope is jumping up and down and celebrating with the Ole Miss fans who rushed the field at the end of Saturday's game.
When vidoes like this surface, it's always important to try and give the player the benefit of the doubt. Georgia fans failed to do that with Carson Beck when it appeared he was laughing on the sidelines with three minutes to play in the game. It turns out that backup QB Jaden Rashada was just cheering Beck up and keeping his head in the game.
But this video right here, there is no explaining this. There is no reason why Pope should be doing this with Ole Miss fans. There is no logical explanation to counter the assumption that everyone is making about this video. Pope is clearly celebrating with Ole Miss fans, and there is no other way around that.
What will Kirby Smart do?
It will be interesting to see what Kirby Smart decides to do now that this moment has gone viral. Is this a good enough reason to kick him off the team or suspend him? Likely not. But is there any chance he will be a contributor on this team again or earn the respect from anyone on the team from his teammates, coaches and other team personnel? No shot.
Smart will surely be asked about this video the next time he speaks with the media, so it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say. But it's not looking good for Pope, and he's going to have some serious explaining to do.