I will confess up-front that I am a University of Georgia HOMER.
And I am not an historian, unless living for thirty-seven years in a world of newspapers, cable-television and social media so qualifies me.
Sports transcend geography, gender, culture, race, sexual orientation, religion and politics.
We know very little about North Korea. But it is undisputed that Kim Jong Un loves the Chicago Bulls.
There has certainly been a sermon on Sunday that juxtaposes the New Testament with the Southeastern Conference.
Take the F train from Manhattan to Brooklyn and you'll find at least one young man wearing a New York Yankees Yamaka.
Every year the NBA Champions visit the White House regardless of which party is in power.
Parents pass down to their children certain devotions to a team or teams, as were passed down by their parents to them.
And it is undisputed, despite the size of the flat screen, that more Americans watch the Super Bowl on an annual basis than vote in presidential elections.
While I am hardly qualified to opine on anything of substance, I do have two young boys, which makes me as much an expert on being a father as any other man who has by choice, mistake or otherwise procreated.
And so in this space, I'm writing with an unbridled love for the Georgia Bulldogs, an equivocal classification as an historian, and as a trying-real-hard-to-get-it-right dad.
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While I don't know personally Coach Mark Richt (Georgia Bulldogs) or Coach Jimbo Fisher (Florida State Seminoles), and despite my UGA allegiance, I can say unequivocally from my limited view of both men that I'd rather sit at a poker table with Fisher.
But as a father, I'd rather my boys play for Richt.
Every single time. Without question.
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Why we love sports is often overshadowed by the games and the results themselves. There's an agony spawned from devotion. And that same devotion sometimes produces ecstasy. When Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals buckled Carlos Beltran's knees with a curve ball for the ages in the 2006 National League Championship Series, a legend and a goat were simultaneously born. One single pitch made men, women and children cry in St. Louis and New York, though for opposite reasons based on zip code and allegiances.
Yet sometimes in the lunacy that pervades our devotion, clarity finds its way through the muck, shining a light on certain moments, post-script, that are buried too deep to see at the instant Beltran's knees buckle.
I can imagine that like fathers, elite coaches often find themselves focused on the actual pitch, failing at times to see or to acknowledge the post-script moment, or series of moments that singularly or collectively mean very little in defining legends or adding to legions. But if the post-script can be found, somewhere between the agony and ecstasy generated from the moment, well then a beautiful narrative emerges filled with lessons, themes and sometimes love. And only when we are wise enough to seek the post-script does the moment itself, the pitch to Beltran, fall into the backdrop, allowing the narrative to become the basis for a larger and more meaningful journey.
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Coach Richt is a post-script guy. Coach Fisher is not.
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There is some irony in contrasting the men, and on a broader scale the schools that employ them.
Before becoming Georgia's head coach in late December, 2000, Richt served as FSU's Offensive Coordinator for more than fifteen years under the legendary Bobby Bowden. As a collegiate athlete, Richt was a backup quarterback for the University of Miami.
Fisher also played quarterback in college, at Salem, from 1985-1986, where was coached by Terry Bowden (one of Bobby's sons). Fisher went on to cut his coaching teeth at Auburn and at LSU before becoming FSU's Head Coach on January 7, 2010, replacing Bobby Bowden, who was by all accounts Richt's mentor.
Two coaches; both quarterbacks; both with Bowden connections and influence; both entrenched in preeminent college football programs for the majority of their professional and collegiate careers.
Richt and his wife have four children, two of whom were adopted from the Ukraine. The youngest child was was born with a rare disorder known as Proteus Syndrome.
Fisher has two children, one of whom was born with a rare disorder known as Fanconi Anemia.
Richt and Fisher are by all accounts devoted and phenomenal fathers to their children. And while their players often make headlines for alleged indiscretions, you will not find a scintilla of evidence that either man's character is anything less than impeccable.
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The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (Heisman Trophy or Heisman) is given annually to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States "whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity" (according to the Heisman Trust Mission Statement).
On December 16, 2013, Jameis Winston, Florida State's star quarterback became the youngest ever Heisman Trophy Winner at 19 years and 342 days old. Winston was the first Seminole to win the award since 2000, when a 28 year old quarterback, Chris Weinke, accepted the trophy. Prior to Weinke, Charlie Ward in 1993 was the most recent Heisman recipient from FSU, also a quarterback. Both Weinke and Ward were tutored in various capacities by Richt.
As of October 6, 2014, Todd Gurley, Georgia's star running back, was a leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. Herschel Walker won the award as a Georgia Bulldog on December 4, 1982. And for each of the thirty-one years since Walker's honor, the Heisman Trophy has been presented to a collegiate athlete from a school not named the University of Georgia.
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On October 9, 2014, Gurley was suspended indefinitely by Richt and the University of Georgia. The penalty came directly from the university, not the NCAA. When the university became aware of an alleged Gurley transgression, it suspended him without hesitation or prejudice. It was believed that Gurley received monetary compensation for signing autographs.
The Bulldogs, at the time of the suspension, were preparing to face a Missouri team, on the road. In 2013, Missouri embarrassed Georgia, in Athens, effectively eliminating the Bulldogs from any chance at a conference championship. Georgia's hope of winning the SEC in 2014, and earning a birth in the NCAA's playoff was absolutely at stake when Richt suspended Gurley for the game and beyond.
And to the chagrin of some Georgia fans, Gurley was the latest in a line of Bulldogs to suffer a fate, viewed by many as over reactionary and catastrophically detrimental to the university's championship hopes, based merely on alleged transgressions.
As recently as June 3, 2014, the school announced the dismissal of projected starting safety Tray Matthews. Matthews was a four-star recruit, and one of four Bulldogs arrested in March of 2014 for double-dipping school-issued scholarship checks. In the recent past, Richt has also dismissed Josh-Harvey Clemons, a five-star recruit who subsequently signed on to play safety for Louisville (2014); Ty Flournoy-Smith (2013), a three-star recruit who subsequently signed as a tight end with Alabama; Nick Marshall (2012), a four-star recruit who is now the starting quarterback for Auburn, and who in January, 2014 was a minute and a half away from delivering a National Championship to the Tigers; Chris Sanders (2012), a three-star recruit who later signed on to play cornerback for the Baylor Bears; Sanford Seay (2012), a three-star recruit who subsequently became a wide receiver for Louisiana Tech; Isaiah Crowell (2012), a five-star running back who now plays for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL; and Zach Mettenberger (2010), a four-star Quarterback who starts for Tennessee Titans in the NFL.
Coach Richt is directly responsible for these dismissals and for Gurley's suspension.
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On November 25, 2012, Jameis Winston and his teammate/roommate, Chris Casher, were handcuffed along a bicycle path in Tallahassee, Florida for shooting at squirrels with a pellet-gun. Hours later, Winston, Casher, and fellow teammates Mario Edwards and Kenneth Williams committed more than $4,000.00 worth of damage to a Tallahassee apartment in a BB and pellet-gun battle. The management company for the complex declined to press charges after an FSU athletic official promised that the players would pay for the damage.
Winston was not suspended from the football team.
On December 7, 2012, Winston was accused of raping a woman at his
off-campus apartment. The woman reported the assault to police that day, and five weeks later identified Winston as her
attacker after seeing him in class. Tallahassee police dropped the
investigation, contending the woman refused to cooperate. The police department revived the investigation, nine months later, referring it to State Attorney Willie Meggs.
Meggs conducted an independent investigation, ultimately concluding that there was not
enough evidence to file criminal charges. Winston’s attorney contended the
sexual encounter was consensual. The U.S. Department of Education later
launched a federal investigation of the school’s handling of the
incident after questions arose as to whether Florida State followed the
provisions of Title IX, and in August 2014 the school initiated an
investigation of Winston under the student code of conduct. That investigation is ongoing.
Winston was not suspended from the football team.
On July 21, 2013, Winston was accused of entering a Burger King in
Tallahassee and helping himself to soda from the fountain machine
without paying for it. A restaurant employee later told police she gave
Winston a cup of water, but that he poured the water out and helped
himself to several cups of soda despite her objections. No charges were filed.
Winston was not suspended from the football team.
On April 29, 2014, Winston was accused of stealing $32.72 worth of
crab legs from a Tallahassee supermarket. He was issued a civil citation, which allowed him to perform community service, and he was suspended from the
FSU baseball team until he completed that work. Winston told police he
“forgot” to pay for the crab legs and publicly apologized.
Winston was not suspended from the football team.
On September 16, 2014, Winston was seen by several students jumping on
a table on campus and screaming a sexually charged expletive-laced
phrase. Fisher suspended Winston for the first half of the team’s upcoming
game with Clemson,
and school officials vowed that he would be subject to “internal
discipline,” most likely under the school’s code of conduct. The suspension was ultimately increased to include the entire game, only after criticism that the original punishment for Winston's latest embarrassing off-field incident was too light.
Winston
apologized.
On or about October 14, 2014, Florida State began an investigation into whether Winston was compensated for over 2000 or more autographs that were allegedly signed by him and later determined to be authentic. That investigation is ongoing.
Winston was not suspended from the football team.
Undefeated, Florida State played Notre Dame (also undefeated) in prime time, on October 18, 2014, winning 31-27 in a game for the ages. Winston threw one incompletion in the second half, going 15-of-16 for 181 yards and a touchdown in the final two quarters, with a passer rating of 209.4.
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On October 25, 2014, the Tallahassee Police Department opened an investigation into allegations that Florida State running back Karlos Williams assaulted his girlfriend. The woman is presently pregnant with her and Williams' second child.
While the investigation continues, Williams has not been suspended from the football team.
Williams has also been identified as an associate of a man convicted in a recent drug deal turned robbery, where the victim identified Williams as the person who would set up marijuana purchases.
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Fisher is loyal to a fault. He has gone on record in support of Winston too many times to document. He's most recently stated in reference to the rape allegation: "I don’t want a victim to anything, but there is not a victim because there was no crime;" and "Why is my reputation taking a hit? For backing a kid who has done nothing wrong?"
Regarding Williams, Fisher has gone on record, calling his running back "a great ambassador."
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Since Gurley's suspension, the Bulldogs have traveled to play in conference games against Missouri and against Arkansas, handling both opponents without Gurley in ways no one would have predicted, even had Gurley played.
Both games collectively may represent Coach Richt's greatest accomplishment in his fourteen years as Georgia's head coach. He has taken his team to play two road games, lead by a freshman running back, who three weeks before Gurley's suspension was unknown to most fans outside of Georgia. And Richt, on his own accord, left behind Gurley, arguably the best player in the country.
Georgia laid the wood on both Missouri and Arkansas.
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Last season, less than a month after Winston won the Heisman, he and Williams lead Florida State to the National Championship.
Coach Fisher, in only three years as FSU's head coach, won the most coveted trophy in college sports, which has eluded Richt for almost fourteen.
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But there is something inside Richt that Fisher is without.
Richt sees the Wainwright pitch and watches Beltran's knees buckle. And Richt feels at his core that there is something to be said about life in taking that pitch. There is a lesson in a rookie throwing an 0-2 curve ball for a called strike three to win the series, beyond the victory itself.
Fisher sees the win. And he gets with the team's travel coordinator right away to discuss travel plans for the World Series. He moves on to the next game. And he takes his guys with him, unabashedly, despite rumor, conjecture and tons of smoke.
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I don't know if Georgia can beat anyone left on its schedule, with or without Gurley. But there is a team full of young men, including Gurley, whom because of the way Richt has handled the situation know, now more than ever, exactly what they are capable of as a unit; as a team; as a group of young men. And they also understand that consequences exist for each of their actions, and at least at Georgia without discrimination. And until Georgia plays Auburn on November 15, 2014, the country, and more importantly the players for Georgia will find out what they are made of, without the best player in the country.
And I don't know if Florida State can beat anyone left on it's schedule without Winston. More interestingly, I don't know if the Seminoles could have beaten North Carolina State, Notre Dame or Louisville without him. But we will never know. Because Fisher sees the pitch, the buckling knees, and he immediately books the flight to Boston after the called strike three.
But interestingly, and there isn't a pundit or expert who would disagree, if Georgia and Florida State keep winning, they will inevitably play one another, either in a semifinal for the National Championship or for the trophy itself. And I for one would rather my boys suit up for the Dogs. Because I know that if they swing and miss, there is a man with a headset that will help them make sense of it. That a loss with Richt will make them better husbands and fathers and brothers and sons. And I'm not sure what Fisher would do or how he would respond if FSU came up short. Because at every turn, in every instance, he seems to have chosen the path for himself, his team and most importantly for his players of least resistance. He defends them with a recklessness that is beneath him.
And maybe, just maybe, the convergence of history and coaches and schools and all of the things that seem to tie these programs and their players together, the stories of memorabilia dealers and autographs and Heisman Trophies, will end up with two teams playing one another, one lead by a running back, fresh off a suspension, and one lead by a quarterback who was allowed to play through scandal after scandal by a coach with his eyes on the prize. And maybe this time, Beltran hits the curve ball, and the post-script isn't born from the strikeout, but rather from the swing at a filthy curve ball, down 0-2, and a ball that should have been a third strike, but was somehow hit into tomorrow.
