Grantham on choke-gate: 'I wish the situation hadn't happened'

Todd Grantham regrets the choke-sign he was caught on camera giving to a Florida player – but the Georgia defensive coordinator stopped short of apologizing.

Grantham on Tuesday evening made his first public comments since the controversy erupted.

“As a competitor, sometimes you get caught up in the heat of the moment,” he said. “I wish the situation hadn’t happened. It was a tough, hard-fought game. They won it, and I’m ready to move forward and finish out the year strong.”

Grantham confirmed that he has spoken with head coach Mark Richt and Greg McGarity about the incident.

“Basically I’ve talked to both of those people, they’re aware of it and we’re ready to move forward,” Grantham said.

The assistant coach used the term “move forward” about four times. When first asked about the incident, he spoke in broad terms.

“Here’s what I have to say: I’m very passionate about the game. I’m very passionate about the University of Georgia being very successful, as a program. I want our defense to be relentless for 60 minutes. I want them to play physical, play tough, play with intensity, and give everything they’ve got for 60 minutes until the last second is gone,” Grantham said.

“And as a competitor, and first off let me say that I’m really proud of our players for the work that they’ve done in that area, and the way they’ve improved in that area this year. And I think it’s shown up on the field."

Otherwise, Grantham did not want to say much.

Not when he was asked if he felt the need to apologize to Henry: “You know I’ve kind of basically said what I’m going to say, and I think that’s, I’m ready to move forward.”

And not when asked if he and Henry had engaged in any back-and-forth before the kick: “You know, it was a tough, hard-fought game, and like I said I’m ready to move forward and get going with Idaho State.”