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Kirby Smart gives his thoughts on why Georgia continues to have driving-related arrests
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Kirby Smart gives his thoughts on why Georgia continues to have driving-related arrests
Kirby Smart commented further on the driving arrest of Georgia football player Daniel Harris.
Comments
Two reasons for all the high speed arrests of UGA football players. first, NIL. Without NIL, these players would not be driving these expensive and powerful cars. Two, the pressure to win. It takes real leadership to kick players off the team for not being role models and being safety hazards to residents in the local communities. Especially if the player is a starter or key player. Smart needs to just implement a very simple policy: ANYBODY arrested for DUI or reckless driving will be kicked off the time, permanently. The Dawgnation needs to support this policy and understand that the consequences may result in losses instead of wins. But for me, these tough love lessons learned early are better in the long run for everyone—especially the offending players. Auburn will always take these types anyways, once they are removed from the team.
I hate to go to the extreme of kicking a first time (for traffic) offender off the team. We have to remember these athletes are still young. Just speaking for myself, I did a lot of **** things at that age. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and I was given second chances which I didn’t screw up. Who knows how my life would’ve turned out if I was just tossed out rather than having people that believed in me teach me a lesson and then support me going forward.
At one time as an undergrad (early 80’s), I was a passenger in friend’s car. He drove his big, red, Mercury Cougar right down the sidewalk on Milledge (between Baxter & University). Young people do **** things. Doesn’t make them bad or deserving to be thrown out.
Easy fix. First time offense, suspended two games. Second offense, off the team.
Take the keys away and don't give them back until after the season.
I don't want to be so dogmatic as to just automatically kick a kid off the team. Reckless driving can involve so many thing, like maybe your foot accidentally slips off the brake and you barrel into someone's fence. You may not be injured, but you'll still get cited for reckless driving because someone has to be responsible for fixing that fence. So, I wouldn't want to go that far. However, I still maintain that PUBLICLY detailing what the actual punishment is would help. Like Etienne. He says that there was some sort of internal team punishment for him, but he won't say what that was. So what the heck was it? He got talked to by Smart? He had to run stadium steps (which is just extra exercise for players)? Did he have to pick up trash on campus? We just don't know. I say, give them a significant penalty (suspension, taking away NIL money, making them visit the families of those severely injured or killed by drunk drivers) — and then making that punishment public, regardless of how embarrassing it might be. In fact, I say the more embarrassing, the better.
At this point it seems that our Dawgs are the only violators in college athletics…..I am sure this is a problem experienced by every program in the SEC as well as other conferences…..what do other schools do? Internal punishment, suspensions, fines, make the student athlete face and pay the civil/criminal penalties ?????? I challenge every poster on this site to honestly to take a trip back in memory to the time you were 18-24…..albeit many of us were ducking bullets rather than traffic cops….I say this not to excuse this behavior but rather say, let those without sin, cast the first stone…..I contend the answer is a combination of private internal "Behavior Modifiers"…..which would include everything from a Kirby "arse-chewing" to a graduated NIL fine system with contributions going to charity, completion of all civil and or criminal penalties and lastly, if the SA demonstrates an absolute refusal to comply, dismissal…..the goal is always to help the SA in his journey to become a DGD, to mature in order to make good life choices thus good TEAM choices…..not only becoming a DGD insures a likely NFL career but more importantly it guarantees a Great Man, Husband, Father, annd Citizen for life.