(Updated, 8:15 PM)
Fans were waiting for Georgia to release an official post-spring depth chart to find out who the front-runner for the vacant starting quarterback job would be. What they got was a stunning announcement from the school that redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger had been dismissed from the program.
One month after being arrested in Remerton on charges of underage consumption of alcohol and possession of false identification, the school released a brief statement Sunday saying that Mettenberger had been dismissed from the program due to a violation of team rules.
Head coach Mark Richt had said throughout the spring that Mettenberger would face a minimum of a one-game suspension for the arrest in Remerton, but had failed to set a specific timetable on when the quarterback might return to action. Georgia sports information director Claude Felton confirmed Sunday that the dismissal did not stem from a new incident or arrest involving Mettenberger. Felton said Richt informed Mettenberger of the decision Sunday and was unlikely to make additional public comments on the quarterback's situation in the near future.
While the dismissal means Mettenberger’s career at Georgia will end without him ever taking the field in a game, it also means the competition for the starting quarterback job in the fall will have a much different look than was expected.
Mettenberger was seen as the most likely challenger for fellow redshirt freshman Aaron Murray in the race to land the starting job, and the battle only appeared to intensify after last week’s G-Day game that wrapped up spring practice.
Mettenberger completed 6-of-10 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the game, while Murray struggled, connecting on just 8-of-19 passes for 96 yards and an interception. Logan Gray, the third quarterback in the race, was 10-of- 17 for 132 yards and a touchdown.
With Mettenberger gone, Murray would appear to have the inside track on the starting job in the fall, with Gray still a legitimate candidate. Lassiter High School quarterback Hutson Mason is scheduled to arrive in Athens in June with the rest of the Bulldogs’ incoming freshmen to add another name to the depth chart.
A graduate of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Mettenberger redshirted last season but had made impressive strides in the past year and posted the best scrimmage stats of the spring. Following his arrest in early March, however, he was barred from any contact with media.
An official depth chart is expected to be released sometime this week, but Felton said it would not be in the next several days.
Here's the full release from the school...
University of Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger has been dismissed from the Bulldog football team according to a Sunday announcement by UGA head coach Mark Richt.
According to Richt, the dismissal is a result of violation of team rules.
A graduate of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Ga., Mettenberger had been issued a minimum one-game suspension by Richt following an alcohol-related arrest in March.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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57 comments:
Uhhhh... I am too shocked to even begin to have questions.
I'd guess it was another alcohol related incident. What a shame. Oh well. At least we have Murray.
Okay, how tacky is this.. I went to the official site to read it and the big picture of Mett with the announcement has a little ad on the corner that says, "buy this photo!"
Hm.
David, April Fool's Day was around 2 1/2 weeks ago, so this isn't cool.
Im not sure if you guys are just being dumb, but its on the front page of dogs.com. Anyways, thanks goodness. Now its Murray's team.
Thinking this may still be from the Valdosta incident. There were rumors out that there was way more to that story.
Is anybody in charge of the UGA football team?
Kudos to Richt for making a tough decision. But needs to get control of this team.
SEE NOT FORCING LG TO WIDEOUT IS GONNA PAY OFF. CHRISTIAN LEMAY, SPOT JUST BECAME OPEN FOR YA.
LETS RIDE DAWGS
Buster - I'm assuming the guy that just booted a star QB off the team is in charge.
I've heard there is more to the Valdosta incident than we thought.
"Is anybody in charge of the UGA football team?"
Yeah the guy who just kicked a kid off the team with a ton of talent. If he wasn't in charge or didn't value players doing what they should he would not have kicked him off the team. That said this is shocking. However better now so the team can get behind the Murray(or Gray). Also this ends any chance of Gray switching positions I would think as the only other qb will be a true freshmen.
On the plus side, maybe Nick Marshall gives us a harder look now?
I'll Sthill theeya in tha Thugar Bowl!!
All those people that say more happened in Valdosta, what rumors are we talking about? I haven't heard anything...
I guess this effectively ends the QB debate.
I've heard he was groped a female bartender and was trying to start fights in the bar.
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF FEMALE UGA STUDENT
I mean, doesn't his mother work for the athletic department? This had to be BIG or they're risking her AND her son, as well as his school (not a big producer of talent, I admit, but still). I'm sure that if Richt gave Montez 3 shots for BEATING HIS GIRLFRIEND, whatever Mett did better be WAY worse than that or this makes no sense.
Are we over reacting? I've heard a half game suspension has worked for other schools. This is tough I hope he can get it back together somehow and somewhere.
Good for CMR! I admire a coach that will make tough decisions when it comes to enforcing team rules. Aaron Murray it is. Go DAWGS!
Thank God for the Equestrian team!
While this is surprising, it shouldn't completely come from left field.
Coach Richt had said following the announcment of the one game suspension, there could be further suspension when all the facts from the investigation are uncovered.
I guess Zach did more than just get drunk with a couple of fake IDs.
As he did with Taxi gate, Coach Richt waited until the facts were presented fully before making any final decisions or comments. He did so without lying to the media, his family or pysically threatening the media.
Not saying this is the case,,BUT, i sure hope this isn't how CMR decided to handle the QB controversy... if there were more to the story about the arrest in Valdosta, it should have been handled then,, NOT NOW...this is huge, especially with his mom on the staff.. i really hope CMR comes clean with us and doesn't just give the PC version, or i, and i imagine many others, will be greatly disappointed. not so much about the dismissal, but the how and when...again, it shouldn't have played out this long if this is stemming from the arrest several weeks ago..
What an attitude Buster! Handing out discipline is your idea of a lack of it? Grow up. These players are old enough to be held accountable for bad behavior. Take your Dr. Spock approach to another team. I want CMR to kick the players off who aren't responsible enough to respect their teammates. And I really don't want UGA fans that prefer we overlook problems. Isn't Richt's style, never has been.
If he was a gator, "Corch Meyers" would have just suspended him for a half.
p.s. My word verification was "alfeo".
Anon 7:12- I can assure you that Richt did not knowlingly drag this out just to settle a QB debate. I'm sure whatever details he has learned he has just learned or else he would have most def settled it before now.
It is time for Mark Richt to go. Anyone who defends him and says it is the players forgets he selected the players. He cannot win big games against worthy opponents and continues to have player issues. I have been a fan of GA football since 1975 and this program is at absolute bottom. What a joke.
^^^^^^St Simons Returns!!!!^^^^^^^
Anon 7:41 - you've been a fan since '75, and you think the program is at absolute bottom!?!
Two words. Ray. Goff.
Anon 741, real manly to call for someone to go and you can't even have a SN. Richt's record at UGA is second only to Dooley's and his percentage is better. The only difference in the two is Dooley had the luck of coaching the greatest player in CFB history and Richt has not. How many years was it before Dooley won it all? With the new DC I feel like another SEC title is coming very soon, possibly even this fall. Players will do stupid things, how the coach reacts to that tells me what he is about. He saw a problem and handled it.
So the investigation of Mettenberger's exploits in Valdosta takes longer to sort out than Roethlisberger's alleged sexual assault?
Anon 7:41- You are an idiot of the most epic proportions. May God have mercy on your soul.
Anon 7:41...as my friends slic and anymouse would say, "your an idiot".
To the anons who think I am an idiot, you are pathetic morons, Did you vote for obama?
You were not there when Dooley kicked people off the team to maintain discipline so do not tell me I do not know what I am talking about. This team is out of control, we are paying the leader of this team way too much to perform as badly as we are. Attitude reflects leadership so as players screw-up it is indictative of a much larger problem.
Yeah, whoever said Richt should go is an absolute idiot. As far as Mett is concerned, its obvious something more happened in Valdosta or else it would have just been an game suspension. Either way, things happen for a reason and you just move on. If anything, this helps with the QB recruiting for this year. Other than that, I still think we can get it done this year with Murray at QB and have a great year. Hopefully Mett gets his life straightened out and comes out better for this.
Anon- you really lose all credibility when you try and bring politics into a football discussion.
Mettenberger is being investigated for sexual assault. The incident happened the same night he was arrested in Remerton last month. He allegedly stuck his hand up a girls skirt in the bar, which led to the police being called to the bar. I heard this from a reliable source.
Sad to read this about Mettenberger. I just can't imagine how badly everyone involved must feel right now.
Jake-
If he was just under investigation I'm not sure that would have been enough to kick him off. Something tells me the investigation is complete and he's about to be charged.
You're probabaly correct. They've been interviewing people that were at the bar for the past couple of weeks.
Man, Dave, we need to do some bullying around the comments area here... It's a short time from when the Richt-naysayers and UGA doomsday theorists show up before we have full blown Techies on here... Wouldn't want those AJC trolls buzzing around here...
On a secondary note, I also received word while on Spring Break regarding sexual harrassment. (I believe I tweeted you about it.)
I am curious to hear the full report though. Not to be stoic about the lady involved, but after Montez got so many chances, I would find it surprising for him to be booted after one drunken bar grope...
Herschel,
As to groping: grabbing a boob or pinching an ass is one (entirely inappropriate) thing. Hand up the skirt takes it to another level.
I like the zero tolerance....just hope it carries across the board to all!
Anon 8:22 writes
" You were not there when Dooley kicked people off the team to maintain discipline so do not tell me I do not know what I am talking about."
Ummm doesn't that mean that those players had to do something to get kicked off the team? Yet somehow you find it unacceptable that Richt just did the same thing.
Its already been said but it bears repeating. You're an idiot.
I don't understand "this team is out of control" comments. Wouldn't out of control mean that they were carrying on and NOT getting disciplined for it?
Anon 7:41 is no Dawg fan, or he is brain-damaged if he is one. Don't waste time replying to him as he is just trying to get attention.
I want a coach that evaluates all the facts, then keeps the players on a tight leash. Players are adults by the time they arrive on campus and should be held accountable.
It isn't the coaches' job to babysit morons and it is almost impossible to predict behavior of HS players when they get their first taste of freedom away from home. With 100+ players on a team, it is predictable that some will stray. The measurement of a program is how the coach handles it, CMR is at the top of the class. Many other programs do not even report many of the problems, I like airing it out and making examples of how to hand out discipline. The loser in this is ZM, not UGA football.
Feel those speculating above about more to come from Valdosta, and charges likely are close to the truth. We will see, no reason to get into specifics until they are announced. A move this severe could only be along thses lines, or another incident, and the AD has stated there was no new incident. Get behind the Dawgs who act like adults and want to represent UGA. Gray and/or Murray will do well behind this OL in the Fall.
I assumed he might have had some WEED or COCAINE on him when he was arrested, but hand up the skirt makes sense. The last thing Richt wants is his team to be portrayed as a bunch of thugs that are violent towards women...Strike 1 or 2 for Alcohol may be okay or an offense that sends you to a prep school. I think he learned his lesson from Montez not to let the violence against women thing be a slap on the wrist and 1 game suspension violation.
Anyone know if Rothelisberger was a coach at the Elite 11 camp 2 years ago?
Now we know why Richt postponed the QB announcement,
Imagine the fanbase outrage if this were Murray instead of Mett.
Well damn - just damn..........
A few more thoughts.
Who is going to fair catch the punts now?
How can you knuckleheads even consider the program as being out of control?
Kids screw up - at least our coach has a pair.
I can't believe we didn't hear rumors - surely the other players knew there was more to the story yet they kept it in the locker room. Is that good or bad?
Montez is understandable based on his up bringing - but Mett ???
Damn I hope Murray grows 4-5 inches taller in the offseason! I don't think I can bear another season of balls being batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Hand up a girl's skirt. I did that a lot in college and never got kicked out. Oh wait. I did get kicked out...
a couple of my friends have asked why he should be kicked off the team before being proven guilty...i guess that's a fair question...but where are ya'll getting this information about the "hand up the skirt"?
I have two daughters, so I think I can safely say this: hand up a skirt, while skeezy as heck and deserving of a massive slap, punch, or beer bottle to the head, is not some kind of instant dismissal type behavior.
College kids do a LOT of crazy crap these days. I wish they'd keep it as tame as a hand up the skirt or a grope and giggle.
I hope it is something VERY serious and not some lame, political correct reason.
Isn't "violation of team rules" a nice way of saying we caught this guy smoking weed/he failed a drug test? Thats what they would say when Odell was on his medicine.
Tennessee and SC need quarterbacks.
Just sayin'.
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