Milner Signs

Former Falcon and Bulldog tight end Martrez Milner signed with the New York Giants as a member of their practice squad. If he makes it up to the team, he'll be reunited with former teammate Danny Ware who took Saturday's loss worse than I did apparently...

Can Something Good Please Happen?

What is going on lately? First Billy Humphrey is arrested and subsequently dismissed from the basketball team. Then Uga dies. And now we have three linemen (two offensive, one defensive) arrested.

Michael Lemon was arrested for getting in a fight of some sort. The arrests of Trinton Sturdivant and Justin Anderson stemmed from an incident separate from Lemon's. The ABH has a more detailed story up on Anderson and Sturdivant's arrests.

In separate affidivats, it is alleged that Sturdivant and Anderson each "did intentionally make physical contact of an insulting nature with (the alleged victim), who he does not know, when he approached her and touched her stomach."

I'm guessing we'll hear more about this in the future. At least no one jumped out of a closet though...

Crap!

Billy Humphrey. Arrested. Again.

Can it get any worse for the basketball team?

I've asked this same question before. Apparently, the answer to this question the first time I asked it was definitely yes. Now, I just don't know. The loss to Vandy. The arrest and suspension of Billy Humphrey. I mean seriously, come on. This team just needs a freakin break.

It sounds like Humphrey is trying to turn a negative into a positive. He really needs to be resting his knee, and this three game suspension will give him the opportunity to do so.

I have mixed feelings. People probably didn't know that last night was going to be my last game anyway. The biggest punishment I'm facing is being suspended three games. Besides that, there's the legal issues. It's a nag, but it will get taken care of. It's nothing I haven't had to deal with before. Besides the fact it puts that negative image on our program again, like I said, I'm up and down about it.

Was Billy really going to shut things down anyway? I don't know. He's a 20 year old kid, and 20 year old kids say and justify things in odd ways sometimes. I'm sure some people will flip out and be upset with the things Billy said today, including Coach Felton. But in comparison to Fred Munzenmaier's incident...this was nothing.

Odell Moving Closer to Reinstatement?

In a positive move for a troubled former Bulldog, Odell Thurman has been cleared by the league to begin training and practicing with the Bengals. I still can't believe that he has been gone for two years after a sick rookie season. From espn.com:

Thurman appeared in 15 games in 2005, all as a starter, and registered 148 tackles, one sack, five interceptions, nine passes defensed and four forced fumbles.

I mean...what else do you want from an LB? While Odell obviously has had his struggles he does have 2 years left on his rookie contract and Cincinnati seems open to having him back. We at The Blawg hope he can team up with another Dawg, Robert Geathers, and resume wreaking havoc on AFC backfields.

It's the Off Season

You know it's the off season when the alchohol arrests start popping up. These are unfortunate because they come just as we are getting the feel good story of Akeem Hebron's return to Athens.

Now, I'm sure you've read the AJC article linked above that gives the bare facts on Donovan Baldwin and Fred Munzenmaier's arrests. But have you read the version in the Athens paper? Their version is much juicier. We get these glorious details of Munzenmaier's arrest.

Athletic Association policy calls for a suspension of 10 percent of the season for a first-time alcohol incident, something that was on Munzenmaier's mind when he thanked the arresting officer from Athens-Clarke County for "costing him two games," according to the incident report.

Munzenmaier was arrested after an officer patrolling Milledge Avenue near its intersection with Dearing Street about 3 a.m. noticed him stepping into the street waving his arms. The officer slammed on his brakes to avoid running over him, according to the incident report, and asked for his ID.

The officer noticed a strong smell of alcohol.

Munzenmaier told the officer he thought the police car was a taxi.

After the comment about losing two games, the officer asked Munzenmaier what sport he played.

"Look at me," the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Duluth native said, according the report. "What sport do you think I play?"

Munzenmaier told the officer it was obvious that "we" have it "out for them," according to the report, and that police have a point system for athletes. The officer told Munzenmaier he had no idea that he was an athlete when he stopped his vehicle, nor did he care. Munzenmaier later used an expletive to tell the officer to shut his mouth because he didn't want to make small talk, according to the report.

Holy crap. You can't make this stuff up.

Quincy, Quincy, Quincy

Quincy. Drugs. Punishment. You know the drill.

Mercer Dismissed

Today, Mike Mercer joined the company of the following players who have been dismissed from the Georgia basketball team by Dennis Felton.

Steve Thomas
Wayne Arnold
Marcus Sikes
Younes Idrissi
Takais Brown

On the meeting between Felton and Mercer where the news was communicated, Coach Felton had this to say:

"It was more of a one-way dialogue," Felton said of the meeting. "I told him what I was doing. His first response was, 'No, no, Coach, I want to be here. Give me another chance.' I told him that I had made my mind up and I shared with him some advice to heed. I told him he should go someplace and get a second chance and start fresh. I told him what I hoped he would do to handle that and to take advantage of his next chance."

I can't really comment because I have no idea what happened. Odds are we'll never know, but Mercer must have really messed up.

As a fan of the team, this really stinks. But more than anything, I hate this for Sundiata Gaines. He deserves better. The kid has been a warrior for this program, and he keeps getting screwed by his teammates. Last year it was Levi Stukes acting a fool and being suspended for the game at Kentucky. This year the top two returning scorers are no longer on the team.

And for those of you who think losing Mercer will be addition by subtraction, and I know you are out there, I give you this.

I really, really hope the team can overcome this.

Humphrey Arrested...Super.

Should be sixth man Billy Humphrey, who was turned replacement starter for no-tutor-session-going Mike Mercer, has been arrested on "felony" weapons charges for being in possession of a pocket knife over 2 inches long. Awesome. This makes 3 starters that will miss games for the Dawgs assuming William gets suspended. Apparently having a pocket knife longer than 2 inches is a "violation of UGA policy." I went there and never knew that. I think we should know a little more about this before passing judgment. I mean, was there brandishing involved?

ProDawg of the WEAK

No bueno Marcus. It looks like a former Bulldog is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Marcus Stroud, Richard Seymour's former D-Line mate, is looking at a 4 game suspension for steroid use. It's really disappointing to see guys you watched while in school turn up in stories like this. I mean you follow them while you're a student, go to away games, cheer your guts out, continue to watch them in the pros, etc. It just feels like a let down sometime. Stroud and steroids just don't seem to mix. I guess the only way it looks better could be from the following:

Stroud, 29, underwent offseason microfracture surgery on his chronically problematic right ankle, and it is believed he may have taken supplements to speed his recovery.

Sounds like the 3-time ProBowler is trying to save his career. We'll see how this shakes out over the next few days as his B-Sample still needs to be tested. I wish that being a sports fan didn't mean that I know what a B-Sample is. Sad state of affairs indeed.

So You Think You Can Dance?

The odds of Georgia's basketball team dancing just got even smaller. As if things weren't already bad enough. Now, Takais Brown has been dismissed from the team. Are you kidding me? What the heck is going on?

The only thing that could be worse would be to lose Sundiata Gaines. While I think Takais was our best player, Sundiata is our most valuable.

Now we'll need Albert Jackson to step it up...oh wait, he's suspended for six games. So, that leaves Dave Bliss, Rashaad Singleton, and some freshmen playing down low. Awesome, just awesome.

Quincy Carter Arrested...Again

The Deaner is omniscient. I got a text from him Sunday morning saying that Quincy had been arrested again. I couldn't find a story about it online anywhere, so I didn't want to post without a link. Luckily, Deadspin found the link for me.

On a personal note, I'm done sticking up for Quincy. I still hope he can get his life turned around, but man...stop being such an idiot.

Dancing Just Got Much Tougher

Today Dennis Felton announced the suspensions of Mike Mercer, Takais Brown, and Albert Jackson "for violating the athletic department's class attendance and academic appointment policy." Mercer is suspended for 15 games once he is medically cleared to play basketball. Brown is suspended for 9 games, and Jackson is suspended for 6 games. Brown and Jackson's suspensions start with the exhibition against Clayton State.

Looking at the schedule, the players will miss the following games.

Opponent	Mike Mercer	Takais Brown	Albert Jackson
Clayton State (Exhibition)	x	x	x
Jacksonville State	x	x	x
Grambling State	x	x	x
Elon	x	x	x
Wisconsin	x	x	x
Delaware State	x	x	x
Augusta State	x	x	-
Wake Forest	x	x	-
East Tennessee State (Rainbow Classic)	x	x	-
Presbyterian	x	-	-
Gonzaga	x	-	-
Georgia Tech	x	-	-
Mississippi State	x	-	-
Alabama	x	-	-
Arkansas	x	-	-

Keep in mind that is the best case scenario for Mercer. If he isn't medically cleared before the season starts, his suspension could go even deeper into SEC play. On top of that, each player's suspension could get even longer. From the article...

If a UGA student-athlete misses three classes - the first two unexcused absences result in a meeting with the head coach and the sport's chief administrator - he or she is suspended for the number of games that equal 10 percent of the season. Each subsequent unexcused absence after that results in an additional 10 percent suspension.

So, each class these guys miss from here on out tacks 3 games on to their suspension. If you are a student and you have a class with one of these guys, get their number and make sure they get their butts in class. This is ridiculous.

Goodell Denies Thurman

Odell Thurman will not be returning to the NFL this season as many expected. I know I'm late on getting to this. The Deaner emailed me this on Wednesday, and Duane commented on here about it on Friday. It was a busy week at work, what can I say?

So anyway, I'm not sure I really agree with Duane. When Odell has his incident over a month ago, I had a feeling it would keep him out of the league. I know the complaint that was filed was withdrawn, but Odell needs to know better than to even be involved in situations like this.

Basically, I think Odell has just created a reputation for himself based on his actions going back to when he was at Georgia. It's going to take a lot to change his image. Hopefully he'll get it right and be the player we all know he can be.

Caleb King Arrested For Traffic Violation

Get this...He was driving the wrong way on a one way street...on his moped! One of my roommates in college drove the wrong way down a one way street in Athens. He was in his car, and we never let him hear the end of it. I can only imagine if he had been on a moped. Caleb may end up being redshirted this season, but if not I hope this doesn't get him suspended. This is just something silly. No suspension necessary.

Another Tripp In Trouble

This time it is walk on defensive lineman Tripp Taylor. Taylor was allegedly involved in a fight that took place at Lake Allatoona Memorial Day weekend. The details of the alleged incident are pretty crazy. This is way different from the more recent off the field incidents. I don't really have much to say about it. If this stuff is true, I hope justice is served.

Suspensions for Barnes, Chandler Still Up in the Air

We've all assumed that Blake Barnes and Tripp Chandler would be suspended for two games due to their alcohol related arrests. However, both the AJC and Athens Banner Herald are reporting that may not be the case.

University policy states a player must miss 10% of the season if they have an alcohol related arrest. With a 12 game season, that would be 1.2 games. In the past, however, these suspensions have been rounded up to 2 full games.

From the Athens Banner Herald article...

"I won't deviate from our policy, but there's time before I have to say anything publicly. I'm still thinking about it," Richt said at a preseason gathering of football coaches from the state.

Linebacker Akeem Hebron received a two-game suspension after his first underage alcohol arrest; however, Richt could sit Chandler and Barnes out for a full game and just part of the next to fulfill the 1.2 game suspension requirement.

"It's my discretion," he said.

I say let's get a punishment that fits the crime. These two shouldn't have even been arrested in the first place. Give them the minimum based on the policy, and let's move on.

Complaint Against Odell Thurman Dropped

I know this is a few days old, but I just forgot to post it. I figured if I talked about the complaint being filed, I needed to talk about the complaint being dropped. While this is good news for Odell on a legal basis, it's hard to say how Roger Goodell will handle this. Even though nothing came of this, it definitely won't help Odell's case for reinstatement to the NFL. Time will only tell.

Chandler, Barnes In Trouble

Tripp Chandler and Blake Barnes were arrested on alchohol charges early this morning/late last night.

Athens-Clarke County police arrested Chandler and Barnes after the two were spotted walking on a sidewalk near 2077 South Lumpkin Street at 3:15 a.m. Both were seen carrying open bottles of Budweiser beer, according to the incident report. Barnes, 21, was charged with furnishing alcohol to minors and an open container violation. Chandler, 20, was charged with underage possession of alcohol and having an open container.

Reading the article, I can't believe what Barnes said to the cops.

According to the incident report, an officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol from Chandler, who admitted drinking "4 or 5 beers." After Barnes was placed in the police car, he was asked where the beer came from and told police it was from his home, that he gave it to Chandler and he knew Chandler was under 21.

Unless the cops saw Barnes give the alchohol to Chandler, they couldn't have proven anything. I know because I was charged with the same thing in college. The charges against me were subsequently dropped. Also, I was never arrested. I just got a ticket. Go figure. Anyway, maybe Barnes said that before they read him his rights. That way it's inadmissable. That's right, I watch Law & Order.

So now these guys are looking at least a one game suspension, probably two. In Barnes' case, that doesn't hurt the Dawgs too badly with Stafford and Cox ahead of him. But with Chandler, this means redshirt freshman NaDerris Ward and seldom used senior Coleman Watson better be ready for Oklahoma State.

The Odell Story Is Spreading

Yahoo! Sports and the AJC both have stories up on Odell's alleged incident. Apparently an official complaint has been filed. This does not look good.