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- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Comments
No problem at all my friend !! You said it much more eloquently than I did !! And by the way I want to let you Know I agree with your posts the vast majority of times. Your posts are always reasonable and well thought out. As for me I tend to get To passionate and go To Far overboard at times. I honestly don’t mean any harm. And I’m working hard on toning it down some. On the subject of Arik I have a heart filled with compassion for the kid ( you obviously do to and I’m grateful to you and All our Dawgs fans that do) as I’ve fought and sometimes still do my own inner demons with mental health. I don’t mean to be a broken record but I really wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I can’t and won’t speculate in the specifics of what I think is wrong with Arik as it wouldn’t be fair to him and it’d just be my unqualified opinions and I don’t want to air anymore of my own dirty laundry as people don’t come here for that, and some people with less scruples will only weaponize it against me. All I can say in closing is IF his problem is what I think it Might be, he CANT defeat it by himself. It’s not a matter of the desire to or motivation. He needs help, Allot of it. You get that. But some people think it’s just a matter of him developing a tougher mental hide, or getting a grip, or snapping out of it. Lord, Lord if only it were That easy !! But I assure everyone that troubles to read It Ain’t !! And I from my heart sincerely Pray that They never have to endure such issues or see someone they love and care about endure such issues. And I will throw this one last tidbit out there IF it’s what I think and what I Suffered with it will Rob You of those things you Love to do !! Like in his case one of those things being playing football, in front of a crowd. Thank You and All the others here that have a compassionate heart !!
I beg to differ on some NFL team taking Arik above a 5th round pick, especially not the first 3 rounds. He certainly has the tools physically, but obviously at this point not psychologically.. Teams don't want to get egg on their faces with their top picks. Nothing but red flags at this point. If Arik can't handle college ball where eveyone is your friend and trying to lift you up, then he certainly couldn't make it in the NFL. It's brutal there. Coaches and team-mates don't get paid to prop you up. No RA's and people assigned to assist your every need there.
HIs best bet is to find the right therapy and meds to help him cope and stay at UGA.
Unfortunately for Arik your probably right. The NFL Is all about making $$ for their owners. It’s a business. They have little to no compassion for a player that can’t contribute to them making $$ for Any reason. So yes I’d agree with you his best option would be return to UGA. There IS Hope for Arik, and I’m Not just talking about football. I’m talking about LIFE. And wouldn’t it be absolutely Great for All ( regarding Arik and Dawg Nation) if he could recover and turn out to be one of the greatest TEs to ever play at UGA ??!!?? UGA has a reputation that goes Beyond the football field of helping people in our state. Kirby has enhanced that reputation with what he’s done for Arik. I didn’t attend UGA, I didn’t attend any college. But I’m proud to be a long time, devout fan of Dawgs football, Kirby has made me all the prouder by this awesome act of compassion. In life we reap what we sow, sow good seeds you will eventually reap a good harvest, sow bad seeds you will eventually reap a bad harvest. The good will eventually come to Kirby and UGA !! Go Dawgs !!
Kudos to Coach Smart and UGA for doing everything they can to help this young man. My question from a program management perspective is what was known about his situation, I’m assuming mental health issues here, when they decided to give him a scholarship to play football. Obviously, once the scholarship is given, doing everything possible to help the young man is absolutely the right thing, the only thing, the coach and university can and must do. It just might not have been the best choice in the first place. That was my position when he left LSU in the middle of the season. That was a huge red flag .
I’m praying for Arik to get well and realize his potential as a man. I am also encouraged in knowing UGA is doing what is right.