Following last night’s loss to Vanderbilt, Georgia junior guard Billy Humphrey was arrested for underage possession of alcohol.

Humphrey is obviously in a world of hurt right now. You could sense the frustration and disappointment about his injury in his comments following the South Carolina loss. His struggles have continued in the two games since, and unfortunately it looks as if he chose the wrong escape route from his troubles last night.

Humphrey is suspended indefinitely, and he will face at least a mandatory three-game suspension due to an alcohol-related arrest. Georgia’s offense sputtered without a healthy Humphrey, and one has to expect that the scoring difficulties, especially from the perimeter, will continue during his suspension. The trio of Swansey, Butler, and Brewer will try to hold down the position.

It’s silly to fault Dennis Felton for Humphrey’s transgression; remember that suspensions for alcohol-related incidents are athletic department policy and are out of the coach’s hands. Still, it’s a disturbing trend that we’re starting to see off-court drama begin to take over the Georgia basketball program once again.

Dennis Felton was brought in to win, graduate players, and, above all in the wake of Jim Harrick, clean up the image of Georgia basketball. He managed to do well in that direction for a few seasons; it isn’t the case now. If you saw any recent game, you know that the team hasn’t quit on Felton or the season. Still, Felton will be fighting a perception soon – if he isn’t already – that he is losing control of the program. Even an incident completely outside of his control like Humphrey’s arrest adds to that perception when it’s stacked on top of everything else that has happened to the program in the past year.

The history books will list the New York Giants’ Kawika Mitchell as a South Florida Bull, but the Super Bowl XLII defensive standout originally signed to be a Georgia Bulldog in February of 1998. With Signing Day Eve upon us, here’s a refresher on the linebacker class that Georgia inked ten years ago. Even considering transfers and attrition, it stands as one of the Bulldogs’ best positional hauls in a single recruiting class.

• Boss Bailey: Bailey played as a true freshman, making an impact in the 1998 Peach Bowl win. A knee injury on the opening kickoff of the 2000 season seriously affected the rest of his Bulldog career (not to mention Georgia’s 2000 season). Bailey broke through in 2002 with a senior season that was key to Georgia’s SEC title run. He has been a starting linebacker with the Detroit Lions since he was drafted in the early second round in 2003.
• Tony Gilbert: Gilbert wasn’t the highest-rated of the bunch by any stretch, but he got every bit of production he could out of the talent he had. As a senior in 2002, he tied for the team lead in tackles and was named second-team All-SEC. He was a 6th round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2003 NFL draft. Since being released by the Cardinals, he has had a successful career with Jacksonville.
• Charles Grant*: Yes, a linebacker. Grant was athletic enough to play everything from tailback to defensive end, but the current New Orleans Saints star was considered a linebacker on the recruiting board. He left Georgia for the NFL after his junior season in 2001 and was a first-round pick of the Saints in the 2002 NFL draft. By the way, here’s to a speedy and complete recovery for Grant.
• Jessie Miller*: Miller and Grant were the biggest academic risks in the group, and though each did not qualify out of high school, Miller was the real academic casualty of this class. After earning some playing time as a freshman in 1999, Miller was no longer with the program in 2000.
• Kawika Mitchell: As we mentioned above, Mitchell signed with Georgia out of Winter Park, Fla. but transferred after to USF his freshman season. Various rumors cite homesickness or a girlfriend back home, but he went on to have a solid career at USF and is now the only Bull with a Super Bowl ring.
• Will Witherspoon: ‘Spoon was a fan favorite from the moment he shocked the world by signing with Georgia out of Florida. His signature play was batting away a two-point conversion against LSU in 1999, but Will had a consistently strong college career and quickly caught on in the NFL. After joining the Carolina Panthers as a third-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft, he signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2006 and was named the team’s MVP following the 2007 season.

* – Grant and Miller did not qualify in 1998 and were re-signed in 1999.

I wanted to wait for confirmation before posting news like this, and we have it now. I received this e-mail on Monday evening:

Earlier today, a dear friend and a former UGA walk-on was killed in an automobile accident in the Watkinsville area.

Josh Willis, a walk-on Long Snapper (#69) who was a member of the 2006 Chick-Fil-A Bowl Champion Georgia Bulldogs football team, was in a fatal car wreck on his way back to Athens after spending the weekend at his parents home in Americus, GA.

Josh could make anybody smile and was a pure joy to be around. He put his all into Special Teams and enjoyed life to the fullest at UGA. It seems so unfair because JW didn’t partake in all the destructive activities in Athens yet has had his life cut off in a freak accident. We as his friends are trying our hardest to not be selfish and trying to trust God and his will. It’s just hard!

The Willis family of Americus and all the people who know and love Josh are in deep need of your prayers in this tough time.

God bless Josh and his family and friends.

It’s a melodramatic title, but when you consider the week that the Georgia men and women had, it rings true. It was a crappy week to be a coach, player, or fan of either Georgia basketball team.

The men’s Wednesday loss at South Carolina wasn’t televised, but a lot more people got a look at the Dawgs on Saturday. Say what you will about Dennis Felton (and this is apparently the time for even the media to start taking gratuitous shots), but Georgia was in great position to beat Kentucky and had dozens of good looks at the basket, even down the stretch. If an open perimeter jumpshot isn’t a quality shot for a starting wing or guard in the SEC, it’s time to cash in the chips.

No, I’m not thrilled with the decision to bench Price. Kentucky did have more success when a post other than Bliss was in the game, and Price probably could have helped that situation. Sundiata Gaines’ comments about Price’s attitude show that Felton isn’t being capricious, but at some point these guys have to enjoy playing the game and coming to work on the court. The team has taken enough hits this year with attrition and injuries to have a player vs. coach stare-off add to the drama.

A Vanderbilt team that struggled to beat Auburn in Nashville limps into Athens this Wednesday. Vandy played great ball to start the season, and they have quality players in the post and on the perimeter. But with a trip to Florida waiting this weekend, Vandy is Georgia’s best chance to stop the losing streak until South Carolina comes to town next week.

SEC Men Power Ranking

1. Tennessee: Tough to win in Starkville, and they did.
2. Florida: Back down to earth after a trip to Arkansas.
3. Kentucky: First road win of the year didn’t come easy.
4. Mississippi State: 2 straight losses, but they host Alabama next.
5. Arkansas: Pelphrey’s team finding their stride.
6. Vanderbilt: Got a shaky win over Auburn to end two-week losing streak.
7. Ole Miss: Say goodbye to the Top 25.
8. South Carolina: Two wins in a row after an upset in Oxford.
9. Georgia: Missed two good chances for wins.
10. Auburn: Upset of Ole Miss looking less impressive by the day.
11. Alabama: Hanging on above LSU.
12. LSU: Only SEC team with just one win.

Lady Dogs

Only Tennessee has more NCAA Tournament appearances than the Lady Dogs, but it became clear over the past week that earning even that annual birthright will be a struggle for this year’s team. Two conference losses leave Georgia at 3-4 halfway through the conference schedule. Without an improbable upset of LSU or Tennessee, 8-6 is the best case SEC finish for the Lady Dogs. That assumes they’re able to win on the road at Arkansas, a team ranked earlier in the season, and win a rematch with Auburn, a team that blew Georgia out by 30 last month.

Arkansas this Thursday is a key game in the season. The Lady ‘Backs were ranked earlier in the year but have struggled to a 2-5 SEC mark, most recently giving South Carolina their first conference win. LSU is waiting for Georgia next Sunday in Baton Rouge. Andy Landers has had only three 3-game losing streaks in his 30 years of coaching, but right now it looks as if they must beat Arkansas to avoid an unprecedented 5-game slide.

SEC Women Power Ranking

1. Tennessee: Win at Duke just another feather in their cap.
2. LSU: Rolling. Defensively dominant.
3. Vanderbilt: Control their own destiny for 3rd place.
4. Kentucky: Big win over Georgia, but still must play LSU and Vandy.
5. Auburn: Hanging in there around .500.
6. Georgia: Reeling, and the SEC is showing no mercy.
7. Florida: Could be a bubble team if they can land a good win.
8. Ole Miss: Win over Bama ends 3-game losing streak.
9. Arkansas: Bad loss to SC drops them to 2-5.
10. Mississipppi State: Best of the bottom group.
11. South Carolina: Recorded their first SEC win.
12. Alabama: Now that South Carolina has a win, Bama’s back in the basement.

Congratulations to Danny Ware, Kawika Mitchell, and the rest of the New York Giants.

The college football blogosphere will no doubt be inundated over the next few days with opinions about what this improbable outcome means for a college football playoff.  Did the 10-6 Giants even belong in a championship game with an undefeated Patriots team?  Is it inevitable that a college football playoff would put a 7-5 conference champ in the position to win a few games and end up playing for all the marbles?  Is the winner of a playoff really the best team?

Other than the fact that I’m a Giants fan, I don’t have a problem with the outcome, and here’ why:

• The Patriots, Cowboys, and Packers had every chance to win the title.  None of the top teams in the league were denied access to the process, and for that reason any debate about the league’s champion ended when Eli Manning took a knee.
• If we accept a playoff, we have to accept the “any given Sunday” risks that come when you actually play the games and let the process play out on the field.  Sports doesn’t follow the scripts, the oddsmakers, or the computers.  An outcome that seems less-than-optimal isn’t an indictment of the process.
• Beating four increasingly-difficult opponents over a month’s time isn’t to be dismissed as merely “getting hot at the right time”. You have to sustain a pretty high level of play over a significant length of time.  In the case of the Giants, that had to be done completely on the road.

On its own, this was an incredible game, and a thrilling finish.  The Manning-to-Tyree pass will take its place among the pantheon of legendary NFL plays, and Eli Manning finally has a legacy of his own. 

The Lady Dogs found a way last night to make the men’s 56-point performance at South Carolina on Wednesday look like the output of a Tarkanian UNLV team.

Georgia gave up only 47 points to Kentucky…and lost 47-44.

They scored 17 points in the second half, and that includes a garbage layup at the buzzer.

After going up 36-27 with 13 minutes remaining, the team made just one more shot until Ashley Houts’ layup as the clock expired.

Tasha Humphrey scored 20 points for Georgia, but even she was held to just six points in the second half. Kentucky doubled down on the Bulldog star, and Georgia’s perimeter players were not quick enough to make the Wildcats pay for the extra attention paid to Humphrey.

It is impossible to describe just how wretched the Georgia offense was. If it wasn’t missed shots, it was turnovers. Really bad turnovers. Everything from Ashley Houts’ unforced double-dribbling along the sideline to Megan Darrah throwing the ball away on Georgia’s final opportunity to tie the game.

When you’re a successful coach like Andy Landers, watching (and pointing out) the same mistakes over and over is maddening. He reached a breaking point after the game and pulled the team into the postgame media conference to let them hear some very candid and pointed public criticism.

"We don’t fight," Landers said. "I have a hard time correcting mistakes. And quite honestly, our accountability is not really great. All that’s my fault. I’ve got to figure out how to get all that straightened out. We don’t like to be accountable. We’ll call momma. We’ll call daddy. We’ll call you if we think we can get you to agree with me on a bad idea. …I’m an ineffective coach. I’m not doing a very good job."

From what I’ve seen over the past couple of seasons, he’s right to be frustrated with the players. But the scary thing is looking beyond this year. What is this team without Humphrey and Darrah? The program signed a single guard in the fall signing period without much fanfare. There are a couple of post players sitting out this season – one due to injury and one due to transfer rules – but neither seems to be the impact player that Humphrey is. The long-term outlook for the program is another post for another day, but it’s not a pleasant subject, and Landers has plenty to answer for himself.

Getting back to the present, the Lady Dogs have only a couple of days to rebound and get ready for a rematch with Vanderbilt on Sunday. Vandy jumped out to a 16-0 lead and led by as many as 20 before Georgia made a game of it in the second half, getting as close as 6 points before Vanderbilt sealed the 67-59 win. 24 turnovers – including 9 by Houts – did in the Lady Dogs.

Halfway through the SEC regular season, the Lady Dogs must beat Vanderbilt to avoid sinking below .500 in conference play.

The Georgia basketball team isn’t hard to figure out. I wrote a week or so ago that "we know that this team is an off-night from Humphrey and/or Gaines away from an ugly loss." You don’t need to look much further into Georgia’s 62-56 loss at South Carolina last night after seeing that Humphrey and Gaines were a combined 4-of-22. Against a South Carolina team that put recent scares into Florida and Kentucky, I’m surprised that Georgia only lost by six with the shooting as it was.

The news doesn’t get better: it looks as if Billy Humphrey is going to have to tough out the rest of this season with a painful injury that seems to be affecting his head as much as does his knee. A struggling perimeter game gives defenses the chance to pack inside the arc and frustrate attempts to penetrate, create space for post players, or get clean looks at entry passes. If the transition game isn’t working, the halfcourt offense will continue to suffer.

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team away from home is something else. I don’t know the extent to which this has been done, but Dennis Felton really needs to follow Mark Richt’s lead and see if something drastic needs to be done to shake up the routine that’s clearly not working. We’re all familiar with Richt’s adjustments during the 2007 season after he sensed a problem with intensity at Tennessee. Of course I’m not suggesting that the basketball team all run on the court after the first basket against Kentucky, and it’s a lot easier to turn around a season when you have the players to do so.

It’s just that with results so skewed, some serious introspection needs to be done into this team’s approach on the road. Felton can’t continue to compartmentalize and say that the defense was generally good and that we played with a lot of fight while nothing gets done on offense for minutes at a time. While I commend him for trying to find a positive after losing, that’s a bit of a red flag to me that the urgency for change isn’t really there. Even if South Carolina was just a case of shots not falling, the offense has been equally inept in other road games at Mississippi State and Tennessee.

Saturday’s game against Kentucky seems like a great chance to get back into the win column. Georgia has yet to lose in Stegeman Coliseum this year, and Kentucky is 0-5 away from Rupp Arena. The Dawgs took one in overtime against the Wildcats last year, and holding serve at home seems to be the only way that the team can keep its head above water this year.

The Senator points us to a Seattle Times series about the 2000 University of Washington football team. The focus today is on a player who had to overcome many things in his quest for a degree, not the least of which were institutional factors that compromised academics.

An offensive lineman exemplified the mind-set of many players on the team. “I was a football major,” he says. “Class was not important to me.”

J.K. Scott, who was a backup quarterback, says: “Most of the talk with the guys, and this isn’t everyone, was, ‘What are the easiest classes we can find?’ For everyone there, it’s football first, and education second, as an afterthought.”

The article (and series) is interesting and pretty damning at times, but it’s naive to think that the portrait we develop from this series is unique to Washington. There isn’t a football program in Division 1 that doesn’t lower its academic standards for football players, and Husky players surely aren’t the only ones even on that campus looking for the easiest path to a degree.

But while we’re talking about institutional approaches to the education of student-athletes, it’s worth noting that the University of Georgia’s “University Council Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics met Tuesday afternoon to plan a meeting with students, coaches and academic support staff to interview them about their academic experiences.”

“The committee proposed questions to ask the coaches and students, such as how many hours were dedicated to the teams per week and how they deal with academic violations,” the Red and Black reported. This event is scheduled for March 27th, and it aims to be a pretty comprehensive survey of athletic programs.

This study comes on the heels of an NCAA study that, not surprisingly, found that most student-athletes consider themselves athletes first and students second. The survey also found that student-athletes spend, on average, over 40 hours a week on their sport – far in excess of NCAA guidelines for supervised practice time.

Consider this thought: Knowshon Moreno might be the lowest-rated recruit among the Georgia running backs on the 2009 team.

It’s not like Moreno was an afterthought as a recruit. He was a heavyweight prospect considering Georgia and Florida. He was rated the #10 back in the nation in the 2006 signing class. That’s pretty damn good, and at this early stage it’s possible to argue that he has outperformed most on the list ahead of him.

The Dawgs lose two solid seniors from the 2007 team, Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin, but let’s look at who’s joining the team over the next two seasons:

• Caleb King, RFr. Injuries to Brown and Lumpkin moved King up on the depth chart for the Florida game, but he was able to preserve the redshirt season. King was rated the #8 back in the 2007 class.
• Richard Samuel, Fr. Because of his versatility (tailback or linebacker), Samuel is ranked the #2 "athlete" nationally in the current recruiting class. He will start out at tailback and is already on campus.
• Washaun Ealey, class of 2009. The Emanuel County star was named the state of Georgia’s player of the year as a junior. He committed to Georgia earlier this week and will likely be rated among the top 5 players in Georgia for his recruiting class at any position.

On paper, it looks like the most impressive set of backs at Georgia since at least the mid ’80s. When you think about the state of the tailback position in 2003 or around the turn of the decade, the upgrade in talent is tremendous.

But recruiting rankings and hype only go so far of course. Brown and Lumpkin were just as heralded coming out of high school: Brown was the #4 tailback in the nation as a high school senior in 2004, and Lumpkin was the #2 back in the nation in the 2003 class. Their careers were full of plenty of positive moments, but injuries plagued both Brown and Lumpkin, and neither was able to separate from the other (or Danny Ware, for that matter). Moreno as a redshirt freshman was able to get the lion’s share of carries over the two seniors from the beginning of the 2007 season.

There are also the implied questions of playing time and rotation. The Georgia offense has struggled over the past few seasons with getting the right back on the field when injury didn’t make the decision for us. It should be pointed out though that some of the better tailbacks in college football lately have split time. Reggie Bush had LenDale White, and Darren McFadden had Felix Jones. LSU won a title in 2008 with a mix of three backs.

It’s entirely likely and reasonable that two or more of these Georgia backs will share carries, but it will be up to the staff to make sure that the right guy is on the field in the right situation. The abundance of talent also opens up the opportunity for creativity. Whether that means two-back sets or increased use of backs in the passing game, spread formations, or direct snaps, the offensive coaching staff shouldn’t be limited by the talent with which they have to work.

UPDATE: There have been some great comments so far. I do agree that many project Samuel to play defense, but we’re going with the news that he will at least be given the token opportunity to start his career at tailback. But as Tommy pointed out, I’m mistaken not to include mention of Dontavius Jackson, Rivals’ #8 running back, who also is already on campus. If Jackson lives up to his billing, that might accelerate Samuels’ move to defense. To be complete, there’s also Carlton Thomas from Florida who will have quite a career as a utility player – think a better Tyson Browning.

One of the biggest question marks for Georgia’s 2008 team is the placekicker.  Four-year mainstay Brandon Coutu is gone, and Georgia is putting their hopes in incoming freshman Blair Walsh from Florida.  Walsh, a first-team USA Today All-USA selection, is profiled in the Banner-Herald today.

Georgia’s last placekicker signed to a scholarship was Andy Bailey, and that didn’t work out very well (to put it nicely).  Walsh seems a bit different if only that he shows the same kind of confidence we saw from Coutu.  Then there’s this from his coach:  “He’s just a very different kid than your typical kicker…he’s an athlete that’s a kicker.”  You can’t say that about many kickers.

With a little hiccup in 2004, Georgia has had solid kicking for years now.  Walsh has the confidence and the leg, but he’ll quickly have the chance to show whether or not he has what it takes to be an SEC kicker.

If you watched any of the Georgia high school playoffs in December, you no doubt noticed a trio of standout players for tiny Emanuel County Institute (ECI).  This school of just 500 was a 6-5 team just two years ago, but they’ve only lost one game in the past two seasons.  They brought home the school’s first state title in 2007, and the trio of rising seniors RB Washaun Ealey, LB Dexter Moody, and DT J.C. Lanier has had a lot to do with ECI’s recent success.

Two of those three became Georgia’s first commitments of the 2009 recruiting class on Monday.  Ealey, the first junior to be named the AJC’s player of the year in Georgia, and Moody made their commitments after Coach Richt and Coach Fabris extended offers during a visit last week.  Georgia hasn’t offered Lanier yet, but he’s definitely on the radar.

A third commitment broke on Monday evening:  Chestatee linebacker Chase Vasser gives the Dawgs two outside linebacker commitments in one day. 

Here’s the thing:  UGA doesn’t have a lot of room in next year’s recruiting class.  A full class of 25 in 2008 will bring the Dawgs right up against the 85 scholarship limit, and space is tight enough that Georgia is having to turn away four-star offensive tackles in the 11th hour.  If you look at the roster by class, there are only 14 seniors on next year’s team.  Even if you figure some attrition, maybe an early NFL entrant or two, and carry the one, it’s going to be tough to sign more than 20 in 2009.

So with today’s news of three commitments – well over a year before the 2009 signing period – Georgia looks to have at least 15% of its class on board.  It’s possible that one spot is already there for offensive tackle Bobby Massie, a 2008 prospect who is going the prep school route.  This quote from Vasser is telling:

“I saw (ECI linebacker) Dexter Moody committed and that is good and I was ready to join him. Coach Jancek told me if my scholarship was ever in jeopardy, then he would call me, so I thought I would call him first.”

Smart guy.  Georgia isn’t going to jeopardize scholarship offers twelve months before Signing Day, but the word seems to be out:  if you get a scholarship offer from Georgia and want to be a part of this program, you’d better jump on the opportunity.

Andy Landers became just the third women’s basketball coach to win 700 games at a single school on Thursday evening.  With an 82-55 win at Florida, his career mark in Athens is 700-218 (a .763 winning percentage).  By beating Florida, Landers raises his career mark against the Gators to 41-7. He needs just 17 wins for his 800th win as a collegiate head coach.  With 918 Division 1 games under his belt, only three others were faster to 700 wins, and only two others (Pat Summit and Jody Conradt) have done it at the same school.

While the game was significant as an achievement for Landers, it also stood out as Georgia’s most complete effort of the season.  The Lady Dogs were 1-3 on the road this year and had look pretty dreadful in their two SEC road contests to date.  They badly needed a road win and a solid performance to shake off some of the self-doubt that surely creeps in after a few sub-par games away from home.  Against Florida the Lady Dogs took control from the beginning and put together a 22-2 run after the game was tied 6-6.  Ashley Houts scored 21 of her career-high 25 points in the first half, and Tasha Humphrey took over in the second half to finish with 23.

“We were solid from beginning to end,” said Landers postgame.  “We dropped the big hammer on them early…we clicked on both ends.”

Houts had struggled with poor shooting and turnovers in the past couple of games, but she came to play in Gainesville.  “Tonight there was an opportunity for Houts to assert herself, and she did,” said Landers.  Her turnovers were down, and she added six rebounds, six assists, and five steals while shooting 50% from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from outside.

“He’s the main reason so many of us chose to come to Georgia, not only now but throughout his career,” Houts said. “To play for him when he won his 700th –  and to play for him every game – is an honor.”

Humphrey had her second-straight impressive performance.  After setting a season high against Alabama, she recorded her second-best output of the season against Florida.  Though sidelined with foul trouble at the end of the first half after scoring a quick 8 points, she poured in 15 in the second half.  Freshman Jasmine Lee was impressive in 11 minutes of relief for Humphrey.

Landers took a moment to reflect on the 700th win.  “The thing that pleases me most is that we’ve been able to do it all at Georgia. We haven’t jumped around. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great people and a lot of great people surrounding me in Athens. That’s what I and my family are most thankful for.”

The Lady Dogs don’t get long to celebrate.  After a day back home in Athens, they’ll head west to play at #11 Oklahoma on Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ESPN2.  Oklahoma is the highest-ranked opponent for Georgia to date this season.  The game will surely be billed as a Tasha Humphrey vs. Courtney Paris showdown; the two have been a couple of the best post players in the nation over the past four seasons.  But in games like this, it’s often the supporting cast that determines the outcome.  Will Houts, Robinson, Darrah, and the others be the difference in a game with big national significance?

Georgia was “lucky” to beat Hawaii according to a former Warrior player,

As a former player, I’m tired of hearing fans and the media say that we were overmatched by bigger, faster, stronger players.
Georgia players are no different than us; the problem was they came to play and we didn’t.

There’s no question that Georgia was more prepared to play in a BCS bowl game than the deer-in-the-headlights Warriors, but the difference between Georgia and Hawaii players showed up on nearly every play. This former player attributes Georgia’s success in this game of evenly-matched teams to…scheme.

Georgia was dominant, not only because they were good athletes, but because their scheme put them in the best position to win.

Interesting – all we heard coming up to the game was fawning over June Jones’ run-and-shoot scheme which gave Hawaii the ability to succeed at a level the program had never seen. There was nothing innovative or unique about Georgia’s scheme on either side of the ball, especially on defense unless the unheard-of strategy of getting pressure with the front four will now be the new hot thing in college football.

Georgia got lucky, and I say that from a player’s point of view. We gave up big plays, which at the end killed us.

Okey-dokey. I appreciate the fight and spirit and the pride in the program, but to borrow a line from Gladiator, a people should know when they are conquered. Good luck against Florida though.

The AJC reported several days ago that Herschel Walker is coming out with a book in which he details a secret struggle with multiple personality disorder.

Meanwhile, everyone from Frank Ros to Vince Dooley to Herschel’s own father has said that Walker’s revelation is news to them.

Like Dooley, I’m curious to see what the book has to say. While mental illness is very real and often goes untreated and under the radar of even our loved ones, there is no shortage of fraud and quackery in the business, especially when it comes to “repressed memories.” If Herschel really has dealt with this condition privately his whole life, coming forward in this very public way is truly a significant act. I just hope for his sake that someone isn’t out to make a name off of Herschel Walker.

We found out over the weekend that two Bulldog football players were suspended for at least the season opener due to alcohol-related arrests, but the circumstances around Fred Munzenmaier’s arrest led Coach Richt to double Munzenmaier’s suspension.

“I’m adding a second game to the original one-game suspension after reading the complete police report and discussing it with Fred,” said Richt. “The way he handled the situation with the police officer was totally inappropriate and demonstrated a lack of respect for authority. We expect our players, just like my children, to show total respect at all times for those in authority and especially police officers.”

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Munzenmaier allegedly “thanked the arresting officer from Athens-Clarke County for ‘costing him two games,'” and didn’t stop there.

Munzenmaier told the officer it was obvious that “we” have it “out for them,” according to the report, and that police have a point system for athletes. The officer told Munzenmaier he had no idea that he was an athlete when he stopped his vehicle, nor did he care. Munzenmaier later used an expletive to tell the officer to shut his mouth because he didn’t want to make small talk, according to the report.

As Ron White would say, Fred had the right to remain silent…but he didn’t have the ability.