When Georgia first found out about allegations that Todd Gurley had been paid for his autograph, the school's investigation into Gurley's signatures didn't take long because the running back admitted what had happened immediately.
"We were able to gather information in a hurry," Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity told the Macon Telegraph. "That information was gathered, it was verified. And Todd acknowledged it."
Gurley is eligible to play on November 15 after the NCAA ruled he would be suspended for four games. He's missed games against Missouri, Arkansas and Florida and will miss Georgia's game on Saturday against Kentucky.
Georgia got an email on October 7 with the allegations and claim there was video proof. After the school asked to see it, the video was sent over. When the school saw it, McGarity called it "bothersome" and knew there was an issue.
Gurley immediately got a lawyer, the same lawyer who was representing Georgia swim coach Jack Bauerle about his suspension. So McGarity told the Telegraph that after a regularly scheduled meeting with William King about Bauerle, the conversation switched to Gurley.
Georgia was also conducting its own investigation, and after gathering as much information as it could -- including talking to another person in the video -- Gurley's suspension was announced on October 9.
"We had a conversation with him, verified certain facts, Todd verified those facts," McGarity said. "That's why it was a quick investigation."
Georgia applied for Gurley's re-instatement on October 22 and appealed the NCAA"s decision of a four-game suspension last week. However, the appeal was denied. As part of its statement announcing Gurley's suspension, the NCAA said that Georgia's work in the matter helped avoid stiffer penalties for its star running back.
"I know the perception out there that, boy Georgia had the book thrown at them," McGarity said. "Well you could look at it the other way, that as the NCAA indicates (in its statement) that that wasn't the case. By being forthright and honest alleviated a much stiffer penalty there. You tell the truth, you uncover every bit of information possible you can. And then you submit it, and you wait for a response."
For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Georgia AD says Todd Gurley quickly acknowledged autograph allegations
No comments:
Post a Comment