UGA Set To Name Greg McGarity As Next Athletic Director (AD)

It didn't take nearly as long as most Georgia Bulldog fans anticipated, and the choice, at least from the outset, appears to be the one that most fans are more than willing to accept. Greg McGarity, the longtime associate athletic director for the Florida Gators, has reportedly been hired by Michael Adams.

Initially, the search for the next athletic director (AD) was thought to be one that could take up to six months or more. It seemed conceivable that the sports programs would endure an entire season without anyone serving in that capacity—save interim AD, Frank Crumley.

But, as daunting as that sounded, most fans were willing to wait—they didn't want another quick decision.

There were many who felt that former AD, Damon Evans, was hired too quickly in 2004. McGarity was a candidate back then as well, and had more experience, but Michael Adams wanted a guy that he felt comfortable with, who wasn't necessarily a Vince Dooley guy, and who he could say he hand-picked—in short, Adams wanted this hire to be his own.

He got his wish and Evans was hired. However, once Evans resigned after his DUI arrest, it became clear that the next individual to take over the slot would need to be chosen a bit more carefully and, preferably, come into the position with more experience than Evans did back in 2004.

It was at that time that many fans and followers of the Georgia Bulldog football program started rehashing the name of Greg McGarity. He was not only an Athens native, but an alumnus of the University of Georgia and a former friend/colleague of Vince Dooley—the Georgia coaching legend who served as the AD for more than two-decades before being unceremoniously let go by Michael Adams.

It was the latter point about McGarity that made some feel that he would, again, not get a serious look for the job. Adams has long been criticized for his penchant for hiring people who aren't as likely to challenge his authority.

However, after the Evans debacle, Adams may have seen the writing on the wall and might have thought it best to hire a person that the athletic association board members were comfortable with as well—something he didn't necessarily consider when both Damon Evans and Jim Harrick (former mens basketball coach) were hired.

Whatever the reason (because clearly the above is up for some debate), Greg McGarity will bring years of experience and class back to the position.

He has been a key member of Jeremy Foley's staff at the University of Florida over the last decade and played a prominent role in turning the athletic department, particularly the basketball and football programs at Florida, into SEC powers.

Georgia Bulldog fans will probably hear a lot of good-natured ribbing about stealing away a Gator to try and find success, but they'll take the teasing if it means that Georgia can get back to the business of winning big in the SEC.

To read a short bio of McGarity's skills and experience, click here, but expect more to come as the official announcement of his hire is slated for tomorrow.

The Recent UGA Arrests Highlight a Bigger Problem in College Football

On Saturday morning, two more Georgia Bulldog players landed in hot water because of alcohol. Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King was charged with underage possession and will receive a mandatory one game suspension.

His teammate, Dontavius Jackson—a spring game standout at running back—was charged with a DUI, underage possession, leaving the scene of an accident, and several other traffic violations. He is suspended for a minimum of six games.
 
Both players are suspended indefinitely from team activities.

The natural response to this most recent development is, what is with the Georgia Bulldogs football team this off-season? It's a fair question. After all, did King and Jackson not learn anything from the dismissal of Zach Mettenberger and Trent Dittmer—both of whom were kicked off the team as a result of using poor judgment whilst under the influence of alcohol?

I mean, it’s not rocket science, right? Even the disgraced former AD, Damon Evans, understood the concept—You Drink...You Lose.

So, again, what’s the problem in Athens, GA? Honestly, the problem goes a lot deeper than a few bad apples.

The knee-jerk reaction is to blame the coaches, blame the culture, and blame the lack of discipline for everything that has gone wrong so far. However, I would contend that you don’t have to look very far in Athens, Knoxville, Iowa City, or Ann Arbor to find a football player with a drink in his hand—most of whom are underage.

I would also argue that the boosters, fans, bar owners, and bar patrons in these places are every bit as guilty as the players themselves because, in many cases, they put that drink into their underage hands. However, little attention is usually given to how a player obtained the alcohol or entry into an establishment that only serves alcohol.

That said, I feel confident in saying that for every player that ends up in the police blotter, there are scores of others who won’t and, likely, never will. Some will last their entire career at Georgia and no one, outside of Athens, GA, will ever know just how bad a reputation they truly had off the field.

As for the ones who won’t escape trouble, they can hardly feel too bad about being caught. We live in an age where social media (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc.) rules and few places offer shelter from the 24/7 public scrutiny you will receive as an athlete.

30-years ago, if a football player got into trouble, there was only that team’s lone beat writer to tell his story. In many cases, the tale was relegated to the local paper and it never went to the state level—much less the national one.

These days, anyone with a camera-phone and a swift network connection becomes an instant reporter—even worse if they are on Twitter. Tennessee beat writer, Wes Rucker, just happened to be at Bar Knoxville when the fight between the football players and the police officers broke out. He immediately let people know about it—on his Twitter feed.

The co-owner of Bar Knoxville, where the infamous brawl took place, spoke of giving the football team the “VIP” treatment. That “VIP” treatment included players not having to pay a cover charge for entry into the establishment.

Do you honestly think that Knoxville is the only College Town, U.S.A where that goes on?

Accountability needs to be had by all responsible if the culture of underage drinking in athletic programs is going to be contained even the slightest bit. Neither Dontavius Jackson, Tavarres King, nor their companions that night were old enough to drink—who bought it for them?

I won’t discount the possibility of fake I.D.’s and off-campus parties where alcohol is freely available—I am not naive to the fact that there are many ways to obtain alcohol even if you are underage.

However, I will say that athletes are more likely to be given special privileges by local bars and restaurants because they want the business, the prestige, and the honor of saying that they have a relationship with the Georgia football team and its players.

For some, that is enough to overlook an alcohol sale here and there. Especially when no one is likely to report the violation when it happens.

This off-season at Georgia, and many other university towns, has seen far too many of the same story lines. How much more has to happen before we start to understand that the overall repercussions to the program, its players, and the surrounding community is far more important than the points gained on the infamous “Fulmer Cup?”

In the end, the football players who are stepping outside the lines and behaving badly are not above reproach. They deserve to be punished and they are responsible for their own behavior—no question.

However, at what point does the at-large-community (bar owners, patrons, etc.) start to take some of the responsibility for fostering this sense of entitlement and allowing it to continue?

Your comments and insights are always welcome—even if you completely disagree—share your thoughts.

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Friday's Blue Plate Special, Have It Your Way

Vince Dooley shares his thoughts on the Damon Evans resignation and Mark Richt assures us all that he's not worried about who will take Evans place.

The speculation over who will become the next AD at Georgia appears to be centered around division rivals. Florida's Greg McGarity has already come up in multiple publications and now comes the name of South Carolina's Eric Hyman.

I found a trillion other things to do while this was going on, including washing my hair, reading, and eating a bowl of grapes, but for those who really cared and didn't know, LeBron James signed with Miami on last night.

USC has been banned from the USA Today Preseason Poll—oh no!

In a tragic news item, former Kentucky center, Mel Turpin committed suicide. He was 49-years old.

Georgia's Jakar Hamilton is named as a player most likely to make a big impact in his first season.

Alabama decided to make their first game a holiday—the student body has been given the day off for their Thursday NIGHT game...okaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy.

The New York Times compares the Miami Heat to the New York Yankees.

The Georgia Bulldogs are leading after day one of the College Bass National Championship—I didn't know the Dawgs had a Bass fishing team.

That Nick Saban sure likes to see his name in lights, doesn't he?

UGA President Michael Adams Introduces Interim AD (Video)

University of Georgia President, Michael Adams, introduced Frank Crumley as the interim athletic director (AD) today during his regular monthly press conference. Crumley considers the opportunity a chance for him to audition for the job as AD since Adams has not ruled out the possibility of an in-house hire.

President Adams has assigned a six-person committee to be responsible for the search and hopes that the candidate will be found sooner rather than later but he did not rule out the possibility of the process taking six-months or more.

The committee members include:

• David Shipley—Faculty athletic representative and appointed chair of the search committee to find the next AD. Listed below are the members who will be assisting him in this task.

• Swann Seiler—UGA Alumnus (78') and member of the executive board of the athletic association. Also, daughter of Sonny and Cecilia Seiler—the couple responsible for both breeding and caring for the Uga line. Uga is the popular White English Bulldog that the University of Georgia hails as its official mascot.

• Jack Bauerle—UGA Alumnus (75') and current head coach of the Georgia men's swim team. 

• Carla Williams—UGA Alumnus (89') and former member of the Georgia women's basketball team. She currently holds a position within the athletic department as the senior associate athletic director. 

• Tom Landrum—UGA Alumnus (72') and he senior vice president for external affairs. 

• Robert Sinyard— Currently enrolled at UGA and serving as the student representative on the board of the Athletic Association. 

It was initially reported, via Twitter by Zach Klein of WSB-TV on Monday afternoon, that Dr. Adams would use the same search firm responsible for his, coach Mark Fox's, and Damon Evans' hires—Parker Executive Search—to find the next AD for Georgia. However, it would appear that Adams felt that he could entrust this process to the six individuals named above.

Said Adams,"The members of this committee have strong ties to this place and a deep understanding of its history and culture.  I have asked them to move expeditiously on this important task."

Adams also stated that he would be looking outside of the university first and would like a candidate who "...has a very high level of experience."

In the end, it was a very positive step towards moving past the embarrassment that was Damon Evans' misguided actions and a rare moment of Bulldog pride directed toward Michael Adams—he was all class today and deserves a ton of praise.

Below is video from the press conference for those who may not have seen it, followed by the Q & A session held afterwards. The questions are a little hard to hear but the answers give a good gist.  

President Adams' opening remarks and the introduction of Frank Crumley as interim AD:



President Adams takes questions from the press:

A Few Possible Candidates For The Georgia AD Job (Updated)

Damon Evans is officially out as the Athletic Director (AD) for UGA Sports. His departure means that at some point, hopefully soon, a new AD will be appointed and the university will officially be able to close this sordid chapter.

Although no official word has been given as to when the search will begin or who the candidates will be, there is no shortage of opinion on who the prospects should/could be once the wheels are set in motion.

What follows are a few of the names that have surfaced more than once since Evans' departure became an inevitable probability and a brief look at their qualifications:

Greg McGarity, Executive Senior Associate Director (Internal Affairs), University of Florida: McGarity joined the University of Florida Athletic Department in 1992 and has assisted current AD, Jeremy Foley, in the supervision of both the football and basketball programs. He's a Georgia graduate and worked under former AD, Vince Dooley. He was also a candidate in 2003 when Georgia hired Damon Evans.

Carla Williams, Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of Georgia: Played basketball for UGA in the 1980's and was promoted to the job of Senior Associate AD in 2007. Currently serves as the administrator over women's basketball, gymnastics, men's and women's swimming and diving, and the equestrian program—which recently celebrated it's fifth National Championship.  She also served as the assistant AD at Vanderbilt from 2000-03.

Claude Felton, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Communications, University of Georgia: Has served as a member of the Georgia Athletic Association since 1979. His resume includes stints as the Senior Associate AD for External Affairs, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Information, and in his current capacity since 2004. He is a well-respected member of the Georgia sports community.

Dave Hart, Executive Director of Athletics, University of Alabama: An Alabama Alumnus (71') with more than 20-years experience as an AD—including stints at both FSU and East Carolina—Hart is widely thought to be the man behind the magic at Alabama. Current AD, Mal Moore, has passed most of the heavy-lifting on to Hart and it is thought that when Moore's contract is up in 2011, Hart will glide into the big man's chair. He would be a long shot, at best, for Georgia's vacant AD position.







Again, this is merely speculation and nothing has been said or done as of now.  Expect more in the coming weeks as UGA sorts out the Damon Evans situation, completely, and sets a course for finding the right man—or woman—for the job.

(Updated, 2:22 PM) Michael Adams has released his statement regarding the Damon Evan's situation:

"Yesterday, July 4, 2010, University of Georgia Athletics Director Damon Evans submitted his resignation, which I have accepted. As I said on Thursday morning when I first learned of the situation, this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set. I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family.

"Under a separation agreement and release endorsed today by the executive committee of the board of directors of the University of Georgia Athletic Association, Mr. Evans will receive a $100,000 longevity bonus for his prior service, in accordance with the terms of his contract, as well as 3 months' salary as severance. We acknowledge the many positive accomplishments of his tenure, including an increased focus on the academic success of student-athletes, the overall financial strength of the athletic department and the hiring of many very good people as head coaches and senior leaders in the athletic department.

"I will address the future leadership of the athletic department during my regularly scheduled media briefing at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, in Mahler Auditorium at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education."

 

It sounds like the president is already getting ready for the future and the Tuesday press conference should be forthcoming with, hopefully, more concrete information as to what the next step will be and when the search process will begin. 

 

 

UGA AD, Damon Evans, Sealed His Fate Once Infidelity Questions Arose

The DUI charge was one thing but the possibility of infidelity on the part of UGA Athletic Director, Damon Evans, likely sealed the deal on his future as Georgia's AD moving forward.

It was embarrassing enough to have an AD, who so vehemently opposed, and spoke out against the perils of, drinking and driving, place himself in a DUI situation in the first place. But, to add the possibility of infidelity being at the very heart of his behavior, elevated him from poor decision-maker  to jerk status—no one likes a cheat. 

Even more, the police report didn't do him any favors either as he seemingly threw his weight around in the name of the university—flaunting his misguided sense of institutional power in the hopes that his actions might be overlooked or dismissed altogether.

As a follower, and admitted supporter, of the University of Georgia, this is the part that made me the most uneasy. My immediate response was "he will definitely need to be replaced now, this is inexcusable".  In my mind, it was hard to dismiss the image of him standing with his family as he was introduced as the new AD at Georgia just six years ago.

"How dare he!" was my reaction. I felt genuine sadness for his wife and his children because I could only imagine the repercussions this one act was about to have on their future—not only as a family but as individuals as well—it broke my heart.

Some might say, the DUI was enough. The infidelity was simply the cherry on top of a deplorable situation. As a young woman who lost her father to the violence of alcohol, I am inclined to agree. the DUI, in and of itself, was a despicable act—one that Damon Evans should have known better than to commit.

However, as with others who have made mistakes, both alcohol and non-alcohol related, I understood that being "under the influence" isn't always the picture that's painted by the images you see on Cops—there are shades of gray.

So, on Saturday afternoon when I heard about the DUI, I was willing to forgive the act because the details were sketchy and I wanted to give Mr. Evans the benefit of the doubt. However, as the truth began to unfold and the words "red panties", "just friends", and "bribery" started to trickle into news reports, it became much harder to focus on the positives Evans brought to Georgia.

Now, all I want to see is him gone.

I feel awful for his family, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Bulldog community—all of whom must suffer the indignity of the shame and senseless spotlight these actions have and will bring their way.

Evans should have saved everyone a lot of trouble by simply resigning as I am sure he had to know the extent of the trouble he would be in after the release of the police report.

He has left Michael Adams little choice as to what he must do. The question now is who will take over the reigns as the next AD at Georgia. We will find out for certain on Monday what Evans' fate will be.

As of this posting, Evans reportedly has resigned from his position, although nothing has been verified as of yet.
 

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