Washaun Ealey has been suspended from activities on the Georgia football team, the tailback confirmed on Tuesday morning.
Ealey, who was the Bulldogs' leading rusher in 2010, declined to elaborate on the reasons.
"I couldn't really tell you right now," Ealey said when asked what brought on the suspension. He also didn't know the duration of the suspension.
A source confirmed an ESPN.com report that Ealey missed a punishment run. But Brandon Wood, a senior defensive end whose playing career is over, claimed on Twitter later in the day that Ealey was only late for the run, "and still finished on time."
As for his future at Georgia, Ealey was non-committal. He answered "of course" when asked if he wanted to stay on the team, and said he was still attending classes today.
"I'm looking at my options ... and see what happens," Ealey said.
UGA spokesman Claude Felton said later in the morning that he could confirm that Ealey "is still here and still on the team. That's all the details I can provide."
Ealey and fellow tailback Caleb King each had several issues during the 2010 season. Ealey was suspended for the season opener after a traffic incident led to three misdemeanor charges.
He still finished the season with 811 rushing yards and a team-leading 11 touchdowns. He tied a school record at Kentucky with five rushing touchdowns.
But Georgia's running game, which ranked 10th in the SEC, still faltered. So the team recruited and signed star tailback Isaiah Crowell of Columbus Carver High School.
Last week, head coach Mark Richt said he wouldn't be surprised if Crowell was the starter for the season opener against Boise State.
---
UPDATE: 6:05 p.m.
Georgia has confirmed that Ealey is suspended from team activities "at this time."
Richt's statement:
"We have certain expectations and standards that apply to all our student-athletes. We expect them to do things the right way, the Georgia way. If Washaun does things the Georgia way, he’ll be back in good standing.”
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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77 comments:
How stupid can people get? Some people just don't know how well they've got it.
He may run this state, but not the punishment runs.
Isn't preventing stuff like this the only part of Van Halanger's job description?
Time to clean out the "knucklehead" quotient, once and for all. I am 100% in favor of the coaching staff bringing the hammer down. If you can't be part of the solution to fix what's been broken in Athens the last 3 years, you're part of the problem.
Washaun sees the writing on the wall. The "Dream Team" boys are the chosen ones. No one else is needed. The "Dream Team" is just another Richt black-out type gimmick that is already backfiring.
Anon- how could he have "prevented" him from missing a punishment run? Carry him there?
Obviously, the Coaching staff is sending a message. I hope folks listen.
Agree 100% w/ Austin. The attitude has got to go. It was obvious on the field when he would get a 3 yard run and talk smack to the LB who de-cleated him. Crazy. Remember when Moreno just jumped up and went back to the huddle? That was good stuff.
@DawgDisgruntled
If by "backfiring" you mean that it serves notice for the players on the team that they better put up or shut up, then yeah, I guess it's backfiring.
I have a theory on the running game woes since Moreno left.... WE and CK could be a real couple of punks, and what lineman wants to block for that? I KNOW they loved Moreno. Especially with all the suspensions last year, I definitely see this as a spring cleaning.
DawgDisgruntled: You should take off - being a fan requires the ability to withstand the tough times. Don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya....
He did not TIE the school record with 5 rushing TDs. He SET it. Robert Edwards had a 5 TD game against So. Car., but one of the TDs was on a screen pass.
Ealey's 5 rushing TD's IS the record.
That is all.
Richt seems to be pulling the ole Mett Shuffle, you know, if you have a player that's better than the one you have "entitled" to start, find a way to get rid of him. Mettenberger was better than Murray, but Richt found a way to get rid of him. Now, Ealey is better than Crowell, but Richt's nit picking with Ealey.
I love this.
I'm so tired of Ealey's and King's attitude. They both are unwilling to do the tough things to be a champion.
What happens if Crowell gets hurt or doesn't pan out? Richt runs off Ealey and King, who's left? This "Dream Team" idea is already backfiring. When you essentially guarantee a player a starting spot before he as earned it, you're going to have disgruntled upperclassmen.
Anonymous @ 10:41.
Not that I expect a rational answer to this, but why wouldn't Richt want to play the best players? He recruited them, and I feel confident that he didn't recruit them just so he could kick them off of the team.
@Anonymous 10:41
I agree.
Seriously, anon@10:41? It's all a big conspiracy started by Richt to get certain players on the field as opposed to others? Give me a break. Mett got kicked off the team because he was convicted of sexual battery and lied to Richt about what happened. Last time I checked, Richt didn't make him do any of those things. Go play in the street.
As for the Dream Team backfiring, Ealey and King both had disciplinary issues long before any dream team talk started, so I'm not buying that one either. Some of the commenters on this blog are just atrocious.
Boss,
You're an idiot.
Most of you were calling for Richt's firing after the losing season. Richt repeats "Dream Team" over and over and now you are worshiping him. Richt's "Dream Team" has yet to win a game.
One so so running back gets in trouble for not running..and now folks are mad at Richt? WTF?
I was there that night at the bar and I thought I saw Richt spike Mett's drink and then pay that girl to pretend she got felt up...
IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY!!!1!!1
Also, I have it on good authority that Richt was the one who suggested to AJ that he sell his jersey, cuz he wanted to get Marlon Brown some more touches.
All Anon's are idiots
If Ealey transfers and King can't get it together, I feel pretty good with Crowell starting and seeing what Malcolm can do. Then, us Thomas on screens, and I feel pretty good about the possibilities of that unit. Ealey seems to think he is better than he has shown. Let's get some new blood out there and have a bounce-back year!
I think a great deal of irrational people post here. How is Richt trying to get rid of anyone? Ealey didn't do what he was suppose to do, so he's suspended. And if you read the actual suspension parameters, it says "football activities", not a game. This could end up being a non issues, just if Ealey takes care of what he needs to. As for King, he's nowhere near being a "punk", he's a quiet kid, and the one incident where he was being DD/helping a friend, being a good samaritan, he got pulled over and past due speeding ticket cost him. And how is anyone a "punk" because of their grades? You don't know how hard he's trying, so dont pass judgment on these young men without truly knowing the facts, to do so is irresponsible and flat out wrong.
As for Ealey, if he feels he needs to "weigh his options" after he's the one who messed up, then fine, we don't need "me first" players on this squad.
And for this who don't like Richt's "gimmicks", GET A CLUE! Do you not think other teams do the same thing? And if it works for these kids to buy into, then great.
All you debbie downers and negative Nancys need to pipe down, root for your team (and players!) positively, or get out. Call it a spring cleaning or a change in the attitude of the fan base, we don't want these fair weather, pessimistic fans associated with the Dawgs. Go root for Tennesse.
Go Dawgs.
The timing of this is mighty coincidental with Richt naming Crowell the defacto starter.
The same guys who kill CMR for being too soft on players scream bloody murder (or come up with nutty conspiracy theories) when he actually punishes someone. Like it or not, ZM got what he deserved, and I for one don't have a problem with the fact that he no longer represents UGA or the fan base. As for WE, I hope he can get his act together. Otherwise, it may be time to part ways. It's not like this is the first time he's been in trouble. I think CMR has been more than patient with all of them at this point.
You updated the story, but failed to fix the error in it. Ealey's 5 rushing TDs at UK was the school record. It did not tie the record.
That is all.
True story: Not only did Richt throw out Mettenberger because he wanted Murray to start, he also made Ealey fumble inside the 20 with his Jedi Mind tricks so that we could lose more often and recruit Crowell more effectively
You're an idiot too.
That is all.
Wow, talk about over-reaction. Richt kicking a guy off the team for missing a run? That's just bizarre. Must not be one of his favorites. That's a clear signal to Ealey that Richt wants him to transfer.
@ DawgDisgruntled, Anon 10:41, Boss, and Ross -
Fairweather, ignorant sidewalk alum can exit stage right and keep their uninformed and off-base opinions and ridiculous conspiracy theories to yourselves. You guys are the type of "fans" that make the rest of the fan base look bad and look like a bunch of whiny, idiot crybabies.
Go back to your Tech, UF, and AU blogs, you obviously aren't UGA fans.
As soon as Richt named Crowell the starter a few days ago, I figured within a week Ealey would transfer, and you can't blame him. Smart move.
Where are y'all getting this crap saying that Richt named Crowell the starter? Richt said that he wouldn't be surprised to see him open the Boise game starting...he never said he's the starter. It's called sending a message to your two underachieving, misbehaving backs to get it together, or else.
At the same time, it's a statement that gives a guy like Crowell a lot of incentive to come in and work hard knowing that he has a chance to start. Good grief, it's barely February and people are acting like he's listed a depth chart.
Anon @ 11:32.
Re-read the story please. No one is kicked off the team. He's suspended. Suspension necessarily implies that it's temporary. He can come back to the team when he does what the coaches ask him.
No one named Crowell the starter. Richt said he "might" carry the ball in the opening game if he does everything right. Might. If. Those words do not mean "definitive" and "absolute".
Good God I hope you guys didn't graduate from UGA. Hopefully you're just inbred south Georgia farmers. If you got your reading comprehension from my college, I'm embarrassed.
I was (and am still) hoping that King and Ealey see the competition from Crowell and take it as a personal challenge. I hope they work hard and bring it every day. I would love to see them kick it up a notch and run for 1,500 yards.
These guys were All Americans coming out of high school as well and I know they have it in them to be good. They just got to put in the effort to be great.
I love all of our Dawgs, not just when they win, and I hope they work hard and show what they can do.
Caleb and Washaun, I'm with you.
Dan Hawkins says it best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4T26x6GZEw&feature=related
Amen nick
11:12 anon is right. Ealey set the school record with 5 rushing TDs. The record was 4 before that game.
Easy with the South Georgia inbred farmer talk, there, UnableToRead. Idiocy isn't limited to South Georgia...just take a gander at the AJC articles if you need to confirm that.
Otherwise, I agree with you.
Agreed, Eric.
Anybody else find it ironic that it is quite likely the same folks who bitched about Richt being "too lax" and said that was the reason for all the off-field issues last year are the ones now bitching about Ealey being suspended?
If you needed proof, there you have it: y'all aren't ever going to satisfied, so why don't you do yourselves a favor and just go away? It'll make everyone a lot happier.
Trolls don't feed the trolls. Starve them to death and they will migrate back the the AJC.
In all seriousness, stop responding to the trolls. This mess is getting out of hand. Seth does great work keeping this up and running and a few bad apples are really starting to spoil it for the whole bunch.
To the issue at hand: I can certainly expect Ealey to be a little peeved at all the Crowell hype, leading to an (additional) chip on his shoulder and ignoring his punishment. At the end of the day, we don't want to lose an experienced back in the depth chart--I hope he and CMR straighten things out so that, at the least, he remains an option in 2011.
GO DAWGS!
It's not Georgia fans being negative, it's just 1 Tech fan posting again and again.
After a poor season with bad out of conference losses, the Georgia coach cracked down and disciplined players in the offseason. With a good freshman class, led by the top running back in the nation, Georgia won a championship the next season. Or at least that's how it worked out in 1979 and the 1980 seasons.
1:36 anon - from your lips to God's ears.
All of this will show us what kind of character Ealey has. Will he bounce back and be a leader? Will he respond to the competition and up his game?
He has an opportunity to do and be someone special. I hope he seizes it.
Kick the thug off the team now ! Im sick of this crap and IM sick of Mark Richts boys Home of the South !
Not exactly 1:36, Lindsay Scott still played as did the cocaine user Guy McIntyre. There were others but since their issues aren't public knowledge I will sat on my hands.
We may all do well to remember that there is a very good reason Richt and his staff get paid very handsomely to spend their days coaching football while none of us do. Or at least not me anyway.
All Ealey has to do is change his number ot #11, and he'll never get benched. He could have 4 turnovers in one game, against the main rival, and if he's #11, he'll never be benched.
I say give Richt a break. A good disciplinarian will bench or get rid of the star if necessary. some of you are basically saying Richt set the whole Valdosta thing up for Mettenberger so he would have an easy choice as to who would be the starter. You probably think 9/11 was an inside job too.
What would be written if he wasnt suspended for missing runs? Ever since Mettenberger, Richt has responded perfectly in my opinion to all discipline issues. Can anyone name where Richt hasnt responded tough since spring of 2010 to discipline? Richt deserves a break on this one.
AJ cheats and only gets 4 game suspension because he's a star.
Ealey misses a run, and get ssuspended indefinately and kicked off the team.
Typical Mark Richt shenanigans.
anon 4:32
I dont follow your logic. Should Ealey be suspended or shouldnt he? We dont know all of the story. Either you want Richt to be a hard nose with discipline or you dont. You cant have it both way. You want him to be Urban Meyer who cant go home and look his wife and daughter in the eyes because he wont take a zero tolerance stance on abuse of women? Is Urban your man?
That one Tech guy sure does get around. There would seem to be a little blow back from some of the players that are not used to hard work and discipline. It is nothing that any parent has not been faced with when they try to tighten up the reins on the Wild Boys. IF the players can't take the heat of the conditioning program or the new training table is not to their liking then tough potatoes. It's football and it's about time UGA rejoined the damn conference as one of the a$$ kickers instead of one of the kickees.
I say keep runnin'em...and run'em hard. Weed out the pansies.
For a long time now everyone has been saying that there is no discipline in the program. Now that CMR is trying to change that he is the bad guy. Which is it people, another 6 win season or a team that can run over and through people. Richt has laid the ground-rules to toughen this team up. In watching the games you could tell he was absolutely sick and disgusted in how his team was being pushed around. You could absolutely see it in his face. CMR said before the S&C program started under coach T. "that it was going to be very uncomfortable for the players." Folks, I was at signing day and two of the early enrollees who had only been on campus for a month or less had already gained 8 and 10 pounds of muscle. And some of you poster on here are absolutely clueless, especially the comment about Mettenberger being better than Murray, give me a freaking break. The person that made that comment, what do you have that you can make that judgement, last years spring game when Mettenberger was going against the #2 defense and Murray against the #1. Now I'll get off my soapbox. Folks, just use some common sense.
What is wrong with you people! Mark Richt has no idea what he is doing! Suspending WE for not running? It's things like this that make Georgia terrible every year! Get ready for another losing record next year because Richt doesn't have a clue what is going on anymore.
And as far as this "Dream Team" stuff. Give me a break. These guys have never played a down in college and will probably be a bust. As long as Richt is there they will never develop anyway!
I agree Anon 5:50. These people are delusional.
Wow, some real idiocy in this thread. I'd LOVE to respond to all of it point by point, but you probably wouldn't understand anyway, so I just thank God none of y'all are actual football coaches and think about this guy.
That is all.
It appears that Anon is responding to his own Anon and agreeing about how horrible Georgia has been/is/will be. Sounds like the classic case of having your head up your own a**.
Follow the rules or get the hell out....looks like Ealy has made his bed.
"Rob said...
Where are y'all getting this crap saying that Richt named Crowell the starter? Richt said that he wouldn't be surprised to see him open the Boise game starting...he never said he's the starter. It's called sending a message to your two underachieving, misbehaving backs to get it together, or else.
At the same time, it's a statement that gives a guy like Crowell a lot of incentive to come in and work hard knowing that he has a chance to start. Good grief, it's barely February and people are acting like he's listed a depth chart."
Well said, Rob. That's one of the few comments that has some clue. This thing has been blown WAY out of proportion by sensationalistic reporting and overreacting fans.
Richt hasn't offered anybody a starting job. He merely indicated to ESPN that Crowell had the capability to "run the rock" early in the Boise game, "if he does what he is supposed to do." I heard him say it LIVE.
The context was Crowell's POTENTIAL.
That gets blown into this crazy business. Reporters should know better, and bloggers should know their coach and their program better than that.
~~~
Look, Richt plays favorites, we all know that.
AJ Green breaks the law, and gets a 4 game suspension, which Richt wanted reduced to 1 or 2 games.
Mettenberger breaks the law and is kicked off the team.
Ealey misses a practice and is indefinately suspended and barred from the buildings.
I guess Ealey should have been #8, then Richt would have looked the other way.
Richt said Crowell will get "heavy" carries. All before Crowell even lifted a weight, ran a sprint, or competed with Ealey or King.
AJ did NOT break the law. He was busted by that sham called the NCAA.
Mett did break the law, and was charged for a crime.
I for one hope Crowell carries the rock in the dome, and blows the place up.
All the positive comments appear to be the smae person using a lot of different names.
AJ DID something MUCH WORSE than missing a run like Ealey did.
Ealey not following coaches orders to run is insubordination. On top of that, it was a punishment run which means he already screwed up before that. Richt said nobody's job is safe and everybody better hook it up. Ealey isn't owed anything, if that means he looks at other options, Georgia will show up and compete for championships without him.
Kick the thug off the team. Nothing but a trouble maker and a distraction. Kick king off too.
All of these stupid comments coming from people who have no idea what all Ealey has done. I know this may be difficult to understand, but you need to know all parts of the problem before you give your iron clad solution to correcting the problem. Some of it is leaking out, but the UGA coaches are not going to "tell all". You may never know the whole story....Do you react to problems at work like this? If so, be prepare to get sued or fired.
Ealey didn'
t break any laws here. Richt over-reacted, as usual when it comes to Ealey, and under-reacts when it comes to Murray's mistakes/turnovers or AJ Green's illegal actions against NCAA policy.
Anon 7:35
then apparently there must be more to the story that we havent heard since WE is "weighing his options". There must be more than the Practice skipping.
Richt is right on this and is handling discipline very well so far. The youngsters might want to learn by example. Also Richt didnt defend AJ actions nor do I. He just thought 2 games was sufficient as opposed to 4. Which I think most agree.
Furthermore there are some on this Blog who believe there is no saving UGA football until Richt is gone. I disagree. As long as Richt is showing he is making changes that will help us win games then I support him. If you continue to criticize everything he does even that which is obviously a good move then why dont you take a break and come back when we have a new coach. Your the type that hopes GA loses games so as to get a new Coach. If that isnt the definition of loser I dont know what is. Bye! You wont be missed. Ill enjoy your seats at Sanford Stadium.
Of course Ealey is weighing his options. He probably feels signled out and picked on in the weight room, and also of course didn't like hearing Crowell would be starting against Boise and used heavily before Crowell worked out or practiced and earned it.
Rumor is that Joe T watched video of Ealey's workout and subjectively felt Ealey wasn't giving 100%. Since Ealey was 3rd in the nation in 4th quarter td's, and had over a 6 ypc average in the 4th quarter, safe to say no one outworks Ealey when it comes ot conditioning. Might have joked and smiled a lot with teammates while working out. Looks a little like a Witch Hunt.
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