Why Georgia HC Kirby Smart isn't going to be looking forward to SEC Media Days
Remember in 2017 when then-Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze took the podium at SEC Media Days and proceeded to filibuster for 16 minutes (he went through his entire roster player by player) in order to avoid mounting questions about NCAA sanctions and a lawsuit filed by former Rebels head coach Houston Nutt? Or how […]
Remember in 2017 when then-Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze took the podium at SEC Media Days and proceeded to filibuster for 16 minutes (he went through his entire roster player by player) in order to avoid mounting questions about NCAA sanctions and a lawsuit filed by former Rebels head coach Houston Nutt?
Or how about the time former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt spent 21 minutes reading his depth chart to avoid answering questions in 2019 (and Pruitt wasn't even facing any heat at the time)?
Rambling on about nonsense is a classic way that SEC coaches chew up valuable minutes that could be used by reporters to ask questions.
And it's a tactic we could see from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart next week at SEC Media Days.
Smart and the UGA program are dealing with a public relations nightmare right now. Earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution dropped a report that stated that 11 players during Smart's time at Georgia remained on the team after "women reported violent encounters to the police or university".
Two weeks after the report was published, Smart and Georgia responded to the claims via a statement to reporters on Tuesday.
Smart: “We take these allegations extremely serious — I take these allegations extremely serious. 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.”
Georgia has demanded a retraction from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing "inaccurate and misleading reporting".
It's unclear where things will go from here for Georgia and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though it's clear more facts are needed to paint a clearer picture of the situation.
Either way, Smart will face some tough questions at SEC Media Days as this report is certain to overshadow what was previously the biggest topic surrounding Georgia Football — trying to three-peat with a new quarterback under center.
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Featured image via Marc Weiszer/Athens Banner-Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK
