Richt apologizes for Saturday's excessive celebration

Georgia coach Mark Richt on Monday sent a letter to the SEC league office apologizing for Saturday’s incident in which the entire Georgia team ran into the end zone to celebrate the Bulldogs’ first touchdown in the 42-30 victory over Florida.

Although Richt reiterated that two weeks ago he encouraged the team to celebrate to the point of receiving a flag for excessive celebration after their first touchdown in order to bring more energy and enthusiasm to the game, he said he realizes now that was probably a mistake.

Here is the text of the letter Richt sent:

Dear Commissioner Slive:

As a followup to our telephone discussion earlier today, I do want to apologize in writing for what transpired after the first score of the Georgia/Florida game this past Saturday when our entire team left the bench area to celebrate the score. If you would again allow me to explain my thought process, I would appreciate it.

Two weeks ago when our preparation began for the Florida game I told the team that we have got to have more energy and enthusiasm in this ballgame or we are going to get whipped pretty good. I said, as a matter of fact, when we score our first touchdown, I expect you guys to celebrate to the point where the official will throw a flag for excessive celebration. I admit this was inappropriate. What I had envisioned was for the eleven guys on the field to celebrate the score. On the day of the game I re-emphasized to the team that this was not going to be an individual celebration, but a team celebration. Again, I was expecting the eleven players on the field to be doing the celebrating, not for the bench to clear as it did. I understand that the entire team running on the field created the potential for an altercation and that excessive celebration is not in compliance with the Southeastern Conference sportsmanship policies and expected standards. My only intention was to create enthusiasm.

I apologize that I put everyone in that situation and specifically apologize to you, the Southeastern Conference, and the University of Florida. You can be assured I will not ask our team to do this type of thing again.

Sincerely,
Mark Richt

Comments

[Senor T]

The fact that Richt apologized tells me he is a wimp. I would rather lose than have a wimp coach. If I ever get a chance to throw a cup at him I will.

You're a good gator Senor T. Promising to throw a cup at someone who is more of a man than you could ever hope to be. Just make sure you're enough rows up in the stadium so that no one near where the cup lands can touch you and you can run back to your seat where your fellow gators will congratulate you.

Stop whining Gators, you got whipped. They got penalized and that's how it should work. I think the gators will lose 2 more this year.

[kelly]

I've been to a lot of the games and I'll come forth and say the Gators get what they have coming to them. I've sat by them in the stands. They suck.

TOMMY TUBERVILLE

Auburn coach

"When you're a coach, sometimes you do what you've got to do. I would be afraid to take a 15-yard penalty intentionally. If there had been a fight, it would have been tough to imagine what would have happened. You have to be careful. I'm not for it or against it. It will probably spark some controversy and we'll probably get a memo on it [from the SEC]."

TERRY BOWDEN

Former Auburn coach

"I just wish I had thought of it first. I thought it was pure genius. It was a great Mark Richt move because nobody expected it. It was like calling a trick play that nobody would ever suspect. It was like daddy [Bobby Bowden] calling the 'puntrooskie' against Clemson [in 1988].

"... The people who are upset about this need to get over it. What Mark did was not a sin. Here is a guy who spends his vacation in South America taking care of poor people. He knows that this is just a game. The punishment for what he did is not going to hell; it's a 15-yard penalty. Mark knows that.

"Because of Mark's personality, it was just the perfect move. Not every coach could get away with that move but because of his personality and his character, he could get away with it."

DANNY FORD

Former Clemson coach

"It worked so why not? I don't think Coach Richt wanted 30 yards [in penalties], but it all worked out. I had a buddy call me from Georgia the minute it happened. He said, 'If Georgia ain't ready to play today, they ain't never going to be ready.' It got his attention and it motivated Georgia's players. I always believe that you do anything you can if it will make them play good."

PAT DYE

Former Auburn coach

"I thought the thing at Florida was a stroke of genius for Mark. Watching him on the sideline in that game, he probably had more fun coaching that game than any game he has coached in his life. He has always been such a gentleman and he's had a lot of success doing it his way. It was certainly out of character for him but that is what made it such a great move."

GRANT TEAFF

Former Baylor coach who once ate a live worm in front of his team to fire up his players

"There was an element of risk involved with what Mark did and taking a penalty on purpose is something that coaches don't normally like to do. But given Mark's personality, and the fact that everybody knows what a gentlemen he is, I thought it was a really smart move to get his team fired up. It's probably not something he would want to do again, but for that game — a big rivalry game — he knew his team needed something a little extra. That is just good coaching."

BILL CURRY

Former Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky coach

"I just thought it was brilliant move by Mark. When you're a coach, you have to look for the right buttons to push to get your team to play at a higher level. Georgia had been struggling in this game and Mark needed to do something to show his team that today was going to be different. Any time you step outside of your personality you're taking a risk. But this was a calculated risk and it worked."

JOHN COOPER

Former Ohio State coach

"I thought it was great. Mark Richt knew he needed to send a message to his team in a big rivalry game that Georgia was going to be the aggressor all day. It's something that you can do only a few times as a coach because any time you take a penalty it can change the game and give the momentum to your opponent. I'm sure Coach Richt didn't plan on getting two penalties on that play but sometimes the reward is worth the risk. On this day, it worked out for Georgia."

And Urban Meyer isn't a whiny little snot? He just got outsmarted.

Everybody has Urban's number this year. The Tebow show is coming to an end.

[Mike]

You clowns have got to be kidding. Never once did Urban whine about that call. Quit hating because your Bulls are sliding back down to where they belong. This is a young team so take your shots now because the Gator will be a force for years to come!!!

[Mike]

Yeah, they got Urban's number and Tebow is done. You moron, Everyone is going towards a spread offense now that they have seen it work well. Tebow has the highest effeciency rating in NCAA! He held on to that with literally one arm! You clowns go back to believing in Grothe, Lee, Weatherford, Wright, Freeman, and the rest of the turds in this state.

[Ryan]

It's so funny how many Gator haters come on this blog to spit their hate. If the Gators didn't matter no one would talk about them. It's better to be talked about, even if it's negative, than not be talked about at all. So continue hating Gator Haters, because if they didn't matter or didn't strike fear with you, you wouldn't waste your time.

(Crickets chirping) Oh yeah, that must be the blogs for the other state schools.

Once a gator, always a gator! We have love for our team! I hope these aren't USF, FSU, or Miami fans hating on us! USF, you just lost two BIG EASY games in a row. Take a seat! Have fun with Cincy this week with the 3,000 fans in attendance. FSU...you have won about 3 ACC games in 2 years...sit down. Miami...you are too easy to make fun of. UF is still better than all of you despite the 3 losses(to good SEC teams that are all ranked).

STEVE SPURRIER

South Carolina coach

"They obviously wanted to do something different," says Spurrier. "Y'know, they'd lost 15 out of 17, I think. I think Mark Richt and his coaches said let's do something different."

"I think if (Florida coach) Urban Meyer had known they were going to do it, send out one of his third team guys and get in a wrestling match with the guys, get a fight started, so all those guys on the field leave the bench in a fight," Spurrier suggested.

"I think that's what we'd do. If the other team ever does that, get one of your down the line guys that's not going to play to get out there and start wrestling with the guys. Now you've got a fight and they're all out the next week."

"Georgia would have been in trouble if a fight broke out, deep trouble for the game this week," he says.

Is Spurrier still smarting because Tony George started a fight with a third string FSU guy and got thrown out a game like 10 years ago? It sounds like it.