Damn Good Dawg: Former LB Helps Bring Athens Cop Killer To Justice

This past January, Georgia Bulldogs AD, Greg McGarity, hired Brian Gantt to "come in and help educate" players on arrests and how to handle situations involving law enforcement, but on Friday night, this low key hire by McGarity, became a local celebrity as he became an instrumental part in bringing accused cop killer, Jamie Hood, to justice.

According to 11Alive.com, Gantt reached out to Hood via Facebook, saying that if Hood wanted to surrender, he would help him do so, and he would make sure no harm came his way.

The authorities were more than happy to accept Gantt's help, and just past 11:00 on Friday night, Jamie Hood ended the four-day manhunt by turning himself in to law enforcement.

See Gantt speak of the ordeal below:



If Gantt proves to be as persuasive with the Georgia players as he was here, then we should hope to see a lot less arrests in 2011—fingers crossed.

Related articles

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Georgia QB Prospect LeMay Gets Max Suspension—Will Appeal

According to the Charlotte Observer, Butler High School quarterback—and current Georgia Bulldog prospect—Christian LeMay was given the max level suspension for an offense he committed at the end of the 2009-10 school year. Although the offense has not been specified, his father Stacy LeMay has assured the public that it was merely a "youthful infraction" and did not include "drugs, weapons, or any form of violence".

The next step  in the process, naturally, will be an appeal of the suspension. LeMay's father feels that they have a good chance of seeing a "...favorable outcome" due to his son's prior track record as a non-disciplinary problem.

That said, if his appeal is denied, the young man would forego enrollment in the alternative school—which his father states is for "kids who have habitual behavioral problems"—in favor of finishing out his playing career at a private school in the area.

As of now, there is no reason to believe that LeMay will be denied entry into the University of Georgia and his father feels hopeful that his son will be ready to enroll in Athens in Spring 2011—as originally planned.

For now, the appeals process will be set into motion and likely will not be ruled on until the end of August—at which point, the next step will be determined.

The Butler High School Bulldogs are rated the No. 2 team in the nation by at least one poll and would like to defend their state championship this season. LeMay is the leader of this team and, said his coach, "We'll win a lot of games if Riley (LeMay's backup) has to start for us, but there's just no substitute for Christian's experience. It would be good for us if he were able to help us defend our state championship."

As Bernie Dawg points out, the pressure on the disciplinary committee could prove to be too much in this instance, especially given the relatively squeaky-clean image offered by LeMay up to this point. 

Christian LeMay Suspension Decision Could Take Another 7-10 Days

According to a report by Dallas Jackson of Rivals, the decision on Christian LeMay's suspension could take another week or more. The 2011 Georgia quarterback commit violated a rule in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools code of conduct guide and faces up to a 30-day suspension—the nature of the violation has not been revealed.

A disciplinary hearing was held on June 14th and afterwards, LeMay's father released the following written statement to the media:

“We would first like to thank so many of you who have shown your love, support and rendered prayers for our family at this time. The overwhelming outpouring of community affection has been tremendous. Christian is the oldest of our four children and as parents we could not have asked nor designed a more special young man then himself. He has for 17 years lead by example and done remarkably well with the responsibility. We truly believe that children are a joy and one of the most precious gifts we could ever receive from God.

“Yet sometimes, despite all the teachings and training there comes a time in every individuals life in which they are faced with choices. In a perfect world our children would always make right choices. However, reality says sometimes they may make a decision that is unwise and youthful in nature. Recently Christian, in a momentary lapse in good judgment,  yielded to an out-of-character decision that even he is not proud of. Like many of us, we are sure, he will look back on this time with regret as well as having gained a valuable learned experience.

“For seventeen years Christian has been a model child, exemplary student and a wonderful asset to his community. He has been giving, encouraging others, loving and honoring to all who know him. We are standing with our Son to provide love and support and to insure his successful progression from this point. We would also like to thank CMS for their student care and academic concern towards this matter. We trust that Christian will emerge stronger from this experience and regain the faith of all his supporters. We thank all of you for your continued prayers and are believing for the best.”

Sincerely

The LeMay Family

At the conclusion of the hearing, it was thought that a decision on the future of LeMay's senior season at Butler High School would be known within ten days of the hearing. However, the disciplinary board can take as many as 14-days or more to determine their punishment.

If LeMay is suspended for the full 30-days, he will not be allowed to make his return to in-season play until after the regular season is over. He would, essentially, be given the opportunity to make a playoff run with the Bulldogs—nothing more.

How this effects his standing with the University of Georgia is subject to rampant speculation and, really, no one knows if it will make a difference.  That said, it is something to keep an eye on as the days progress because—if the details of this violation ever are released—the admissions committee at Georgia could see fit to do a little review of its own and that is never a good thing.

As of now, this is simply a high school issue—nothing more—and there is little reason for me or anyone else to believe that LeMay will be anything less than a Bulldog come 2011.