Nick Fairley Did No Wrong

 Nick Fairley Did No Wrong

By: Barrett Elkins

For those who watched the Auburn/UGA game this weekend, I hope you stayed until the end.  I want to talk about the scuffle towards the end of the fourth quarter and clear up what happened.  In order to look at what happened, we need to examine what happened up to that point in the game.  Nick Fairley (loved by Auburn, hated by everyone else in the country) had been harassing UGA quarterback, Aaron Murray all afternoon.  There have been complaints by other coaches that Nick Fairley is driving quarterbacks into the ground. 

I want to point out that Fairley had one personal foul during the game.  It was late hit on Murray from behind.  It was clearly late.  It was dumb.  It turned a punting situation into a first down (which turned into points) for the Bulldogs.  I watched the play several times and I wanted make this point clear; it was late, stupid and a lapse of judgment, but it was not dirty.  Fairley is a stand-up guy and has been a team player all year round.  He would not make a premeditated hit to injure a player, especially in such a crucial point in the game when Auburn was about to get the ball back.

Late in the game, Fairley was pursuing Murray again and ended up hitting his helmet against the knee of the UGA quarterback.  Please watch the play as many times as you can.  I cannot imagine an angle of the play that would make this play look dirty or late.  It was a very unfortunate play for Murray, but was not a dirty play.  Even the announcers, who had kept a close eye on Fairley the entire game, specifically said it was not a cheap shot.  Fairley did nothing wrong that caused Murray to get injured.  The real incident is what followed after.

The situation I want to talk about occurred after these plays.  First, there was an intentional chop block thrown at the back of Fairley’s knees.  It was not an unfortunate play caused by an off-balanced offensive lineman.  This play was premeditated by the lineman.  Watch the play again before you tell me you disagree with me.  Following this play, there was another specific play called in retaliation against Fairley.  At the snap of the ball, four offensive linemen leave their assignments to take cheap shots at Fairley, then stay on top of him without getting off of him.  This is when the scuffle started.  Auburn players ran into the pile to grab the linemen off of Fairley.  Pushing lead to shoving and shoving lead to punches being thrown, by both teams.  As the pushing, shoving, punching and cheap shots were thrown back and forth, the UGA bench ran on to the field ready to fight.  The entirety of the UGA bench was on the field, while not a single member of the Auburn bench crossed the sideline.  Who do you believe is to blame in this situation?

When I played high school basketball, our team was the best behaved team in the school.  This was not because we were lucky enough to be blessed with incredible kids that constantly made the right choices.  Sure, we had some great kids, but great kids are not formed without great role models.  The reason our behavior was constantly in check was because we knew our coach deemed irresponsible behavior as unacceptable.  Our actions off the court were a direct representation to the entire team, and we knew it.  We ran our asses off if any player had a technical foul during the game, even if it was justified.  I cannot imagine what would have happened had we started a fight due to cheap shots during a game. 

So, whose fault is it that the UGA team ran on the field ready to fight?  The answer is easy; Mark Richt.  Since 2008, UGA has had 25 players arrested.  That is by far the most in the SEC.  25 players in three seasons means that more than more than 8 players per year are arrested from Mark Richt’s team.  Obviously, these players do not fear the repercussions held by their coach.  A good example is the UGA/Florida game.  This is always a heated rivalry, but Richt took it to another level in 2007.  After UGA scored the first touchdown of the game, Richt ordered his team to celebrate in the end zone (by threat of extra conditioning for those who did not participate), which resulted in two unsportsmanlike penalties.  The head coach threatened his players with running, unless they broke rules and taunted the Florida Gators.  What message is he sending his players? 

As a college coach, he is doing his players an injustice.  Why would UGA football players not believe they are above the law?  Why would they not think they can fight on the field?  Why would they not stop getting arrested during the offseason?  The truth is that as long as Richt allows this behavior to go on, UGA will always lead the league in penalties, offseason incidents and lack of class.  Maybe next time Richt is watching his team blow a lead against a top team, he will keep his composure…but then again, why would he change now?