University of Georgia sophomore Montez Robinson of Avon, Indiana, has been dismissed from the football team according to UGA head coach Mark Richt.
“Montez has not been able to conform to some conditions and stipulations that were placed on him as a result of previous off-field issues,” said Richt. “I think this decision is in the best interest of everyone.”
Richt also said he hopes Robinson will at some point continue his education at another institution.
As a backup defensive end in 2009, Robinson played in 11 games and recorded five total tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback sacks.
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Georgia linebacker Montez Robinson was arrested Sunday on a charge of simple misdemeanor domestic battery and was being held without bail while awaiting a bond hearing, according to Athens Clarke County Police.
Robinson, 20, turned himself in on a warrant issued Saturday and was booked at 12:40 p.m. Sunday, marking his third arrest in the last six months.
Robinson was previously arrested on simple battery charges stemming from an incident on Oct. 20, then again for second-degree criminal damage after police said he broke taillights on a female Georgia student’s car in November.
The previous incidents kept Robinson out of Georgia’s bowl game against Texas A&M and earned him a two-game suspension to start the 2010 season by head coach Mark Richt. Along with the suspension, Robinson was to be attending anger management courses.
Robinson, a rising sophomore, played sparingly last season but was considered one of Georgia’s top three outside linebackers this season – a position without significant depth.
As of Sunday evening, neither Richt nor the school had released a comment on the issue, and when contacted by the Telegraph, defensive line coach Rodney Garner, the coach who recruited Robinson to Georgia, said he had not been aware of the arrest.
Last week, a police report surfaced in which three students claimed they had been harassed and threatened by four black men in a cab, and that one of the victims believed assailants were football players. While that investigation remains ongoing, Georgia assistant sports communications director Leland Barrow said the charges against Robinson are not related to the taxi incident.
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30 comments:
Show him the door!
I feel really terrible for all of those involved. I've read that Montez has led a rough life and I'm certainly not making any excuses for his actions. But I was very hopeful that under the guidance of Mark Richt and his staff, Montez would be able put a lot of the bad stuff behind him. I still believe in him and will continue to hope for the best for him.
If this taxi situation is true, it is really going to leave the program with a black eye - 5 players involved in violence within a week.
Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad.
Sad.
"Glass House" people it is Easter! This is a misdemeanor wasn't it?
Really? You are on scholarship to a great school and you can't keep from beating the crap out of people even though you know it will probably be strike three? Nobody should feel sorry for this young man, what an idiot.
Damn - I can't believe the vitriol directed at Montez. First some of you have added 1 + 1 and inexplicably come up with 6.
How many of you have walked in similar shoes? How many of you have had your life turned completely upside down through no fault of your own? Had loved ones or friend snatched from your life with little or no explanation?
Do I condone his behavior - hell no. But I have more compassion for him than I do those ignorant bloggers that hurl hatred in his direction. I have walked a path that leaves you confused distrustful and angry. It has taken me about 40 years to come to grips with it but I will always carry it. You seem to expect someone to snap their fingers and rid this young man of his demons - get a clue.
Maybe one day you will suffer at the hands of someone or something you can't control. Something that will provide a little balance in your life - until then I wish you would just STF up.
My apology to David and those of you that follow this blog but I am pissed at the anonymous holier than thou mindset.
I agree with Trey and Anon 1.
This is ridiculous. You spend all of the spring hitting people on the football field and somehow can't get all of that aggressiveness out of your system? You know what that shows? Stupidity. Enough is enough, UGA is beginning to look like a major joke of a team full of thugs who cannot control themselves.
And its unfortunate that this is the perception because most of them are well behaved and simply play football. But it's the bad apples that get the press and it's the bad apples that could give the school a lasting bad reputation.
IF the way we kicked Lemon to the curb is any indication Robinson is gone. Mark will try to help him but it will be as a non-student athlete. As for the cab thing, if that group turns out to be football players or just students then the school should expel them.
By the way I wish Rodney would quit trying to save some of the more violent guys. Seems the admission committee missed on few of the harder cases. I don't think we are a social work program but over the last few years we seem to be.
JRL, I fall into your camp. I've gotten to know Montez a little bit, and he's genuinely a sweet kid in the dealings I've had with him. But kids who grow up with zero parental oversight often don't learn how to properly handle their feelings. Add drugs or alcohol to the mix, and you often have a kid who channels his emotions and anger in all the wrong directions.
I don't know what happened with Montez this time, and I'd suggest everyone wait until we have a few more facts before passing final judgments.
But regardless of what happened -- this kid failed Georgia, his teammates and his coaches, and that warrants punishment and probably some ill will from fans.
But trust me when I tell you, plenty of people have failed Montez along the way, too.
And for those who still don't care about all that, keep in mind that your glee in seeing him gone will leave Georgia with just two scholarship OLBs for the rest of the spring.
And as I type that... the release comes from UGA. Montez is gone.
Shame for Georgia, shame for the kid. Both deserved better than what they got -- Montez deserved a better upbringing, and Georgia deserved more effort in giving him a chance to better himself.
JRL I completely agree with you. I've read little bit about this young man's life and it has clearly been filled with turmoil. Its very difficult ... no IMPOSSIBLE for those with a healthy family life to imagine what life would've been like in his shoes.
Robinson got what he deserved for his actions and hopefully he'll be able to learn from it at some point. But at the root of it all is a young man who has been deeply wounded as a child.
T.J. Stripling and Alec Ogletree need to get ready.
If it were Urban, Montez would only be looking at half a game suspension
this is truly a tragic story on all accounts...
maybe nick williams will be slidding back to LB or samuels will not be redshirted. could bruce figgins play OLB, seems to fit the body type grantham is looking for. anybody know if he played some defense in highschool?
i'm sure this kid would have ended up being a beast on the field at the OLB in the 3-4 the next few years, unfortunately he's a beast off the field too.
if this battery charge is against another woman then lets hope he gets the correct guidance and counseling to keep him from seriously hurting an innocent woman one day.
the players have to do a better job of policing each other. C.Boling and C.Davis and B.Jones should get to paddle/headbutt/eraserburn/quarters or do something to those who get out of line...that should help curb any off the field issues.
JRL, I don't mean to come off as insensitive or lacking compassion, but all I hear are excuses. Life is tough, get over it. My life has been far from golden and here I am, working two jobs so I can get an education from UGA. This kid was getting tuition paid for, room and board, meals and all he is asked to do is show up to practice, play hard, and obey the law. I do not feel sorry for him, he made his choice. And Lord knows he had plenty of opportunities. Maybe he should enroll at UF, he would fit right in.
I feel bad for Montez but also for UGA. I understand that he had a bad upbringing but that still doesn't excuse you from disobeying orders after you have been given multiple chances. Best of luck to the kid and hopefully he turns his life around. As for outside linebackers, we still have Houston, Washington, but also have Faloughi who has looked great this spring. Montez was going to miss the first couple of games anyway so what this does is just put more pressure on the freshman coming in to be ready to play (Stripling, Morant, Fields, and Burrows).
I too agree with JRL. - Mama always said "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" - of course that would make for a pretty bland blog. I guess I'm always looking for silver linings, but does the unfortunate situation with Montez, free up another scholarship? Does anyone in the front office still have Zach Renner's phone number?
David you make great sense in defense of this kid. A lot of stuff has gone against him that most of us never have to deal with. I was really pulling for him.
The thing is that Montez seems to need more than what UGA can provide. He's got 3 arrests in 6 nonths all involving violence; this is not normal teenage stuff. Anger management, psychological counseling, etc., etc. all come to mind, but these are not the primary things that a university offers. I think the fresh start is in everyone's best interest and I came to that conclusion before Richt made his decision.
Thanks for providing for the exchange of ideas.
Trey,
You need to reread JRL's post. There is NOTHING in it about excusing what Robinson did. There are consequences for one's actions - period.
What I don't get is all of this anger expressed in the Dawg nation towards a kid who obviously has issues he needs to deal with in his life that are bigger than football.
Gosh there are some assholes commenting in here. If you had your life all figured out when you were 18-19 then go ahead and throw the first stone. Montez is getting punished for his mistakes, but I worry a lot more about the rest of his life going forward than the effect his dismissal has on our defense. Life is more important than football. I hope you can find some peace in your life one day Montez
Maybe if you were the victim of some of Montez's actions some of you wouldn't feel so sorry for the kid. Look, I feel bad that he had a tough upbringing. Guess what, UGA gave him a chance to turn things around. Matter of fact, they gave him several chances, and he has yet to show any remorse or ability to change. Did he not know right from wrong? Sure he did. I don't feel one bit of sympathy for him. If he can't overcome his past even with all the help he has been given, then maybe he would be best served spending time in a psychiatric hospital instead of attending college classes.
All these off campus incidents need to stop. We are not the University of Florida who tolerate this type of behavior. We are the University of Georgia. We have a tradition of class, leadership, and discipline. To Robinson, Bye!
Maybe if you were the victim of some of Montez's actions some of you wouldn't feel so sorry for the kid. Look, I feel bad that he had a tough upbringing. Guess what, UGA gave him a chance to turn things around. Matter of fact, they gave him several chances, and he has yet to show any remorse or ability to change. Did he not know right from wrong? Sure he did. I don't feel one bit of sympathy for him. If he can't overcome his past even with all the help he has been given, then maybe he would be best served spending time in a psychiatric hospital instead of attending college classes.
Some of you need to grow up and stop excusing bad, stupid behavior. Getting in fights when you are in middle school because of bad parenting may be understandable, this many incidents by an adult is beyond stupid. Time for him to face up, accept his punsihment and start competing with those who have learned to act civilly. The price for this is low-end jobs and a continued uphill climb. If he is man enough, he will make it, but he doesn't deserve any more chances. He has emabarrassed himself and let his teammates down. CMR's job isn't to coddle those who don't take advantage of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances. Robinson has no one to blame but himself at this point, his difficult background is shared by millions.
The only people talking about "excusing bad behavior" is the holier-than-thou, perfect people. The issue seems to have been covered pretty well on this blog. I'm sorry you're too righteous to comprehend it.
Quote from above post at 11:45 p.m. last night :
"All these off campus incidents need to stop."
Well, unfortunately, we have become a group of fans who have a new list of excuses for each and every 1 of now 90 arrests / suspensions in the Coach Richt Era that began now 9 years ago. That's 90 available today on the Internet 9 years later, documented.
You can say that he was a very good football player. He was. He was previously suspended twice for 3 games on 2 previous arrests. 3 of the 90 arrested / suspended Georgia Bulldogs in the Coach Richt Era are his alone.
T J Stripling 6'6" 215 lbs. 4.6 speed was going to beat him out as Starter on the field at some point and Montez Robinson 6'5" 235 lbs 4.6 speed was going to be a big help coming in off the bench, although Robinson was recruited here one year ago.
In that year, Coach Richt has taken a lot of heat for his 90 now arrests / suspensions readily available for anyone to see on the Internet. This at a time when for the last 4 years since DJ Shockley's graduation when UGA has gone 1-3 vs the vols 1-3 vs Florida 21 fumbles a year for the last 4 years now 14 interceptions a year for the last 4 years now and averaged # 96 in the NCAA in Penalties the last 4 years now.
We have never been beat a Final AP Poll Top 10 Bowl Opponent. The 1st SEC Championship we got 5-loss FSU and the 2nd SEC Championship we Lost our bowl game. That was 5 years ago now, this coming season. In these last 4 years since we have gone 10 wins 10 losses the last 20 games against SEC East teams.
We cannot get out of our own division, fired the entire coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball except for the 1 guy who recruited Montez Robinson here, and should have fired the entire offensive coaching staff.
Instead, Coach Richt has taken over all the Offensive Coaching Staff's duties. Teach the Quarterbacks, run the offense, and even determine the depth chart for the offensive coaching staff.
You can expect another arrest May 5. It is what we have done for 9 solid years.
Montez Robinson was the number 8 best Defensive End in the nation and the top football player of all positions in the state of Indiana. Alabama, for example, thought they had Montez this time last year, only to have our recruiting class add Montez Robinson instead.
We have not done our duty to society with Montez Robinson. We have had to react to now 90 arrests / suspension readily available for all to see on the Internet like this story right here by David Hale in the Coach Richt Era.
Comparing us to Florida over the Coach Richt Era or even over Urban Meyer tenure, we have had a lot more arrested / suspended than Florida - although Florida's are more high profile.
The problem is that our 90 arrests / suspensions in the Coach Richt Era are 1 a month for 9 years. March 7 Zach Mettenberger to April 4 Montez Robinson for example.
There are actually more than 90 arrests / suspensions in the Coach Richt Era. I don't have the time or inclination to find them when these 90 pop right up for everyone to easily tally up.
It's a problem for Coach Richt in the face of him having to take over the Offensive Coaching Staff admitting Mike Bobo cannot handle it all by himself and having to fire his entire Defensive and Special Teams' Coaching Staffs as well. It is obviously not possible to go a month without an arrest / suspension.
Just as it is not possible for us to beat a Top 10 Final AP Poll team in a bowl game - you know a big huge win on the national stage.
Just as it is not possible to beat Florida.
Just as it is not possible to have the expectation to win more than 10 games in 14-game seasons nowadays.
9-4 or 10-3 that is our HOPE for the season.
QB ? Do we have a QB ready like Florida has ? No. We did not have one ready for 2010, 2009 or 2006.
Maybe we should have done more for Montez Robinson. We have bigger fish to fry right now than deal with him on top of all this. Best of Luck Montez Robinson. You should have chosen a place without 90 arrests / suspensions where you could be dealt with properly. You obviously did not fear your 1 game suspension Shreveport Bowl Game your 1st arrest last October 20 beating up a woman. You did not fear your 2 game suspension to start this 2010 season with your 2nd arrest November 30 then bashing his car's taillights drunk in public, and now you have another battery arrest. The best place for you to learn that lesson is in jail.
Trey,
Maybe you should get your GPA above a 3.0, get HOPE and take some of the burden off your shoulders?
Anon 11:24, my GPA is a 3.2. I am a senior and I have had HOPE all four years. The cost of living aint cheap. I actually get an additional scholarship called the Yates scholarship and receive the Pell grant and I still have to work two jobs. Thanks for the comment though.
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