You haven’t missed much if you’ve never visited Stillmore, a spot of a town in a part of South Georgia where all the communities seem to have a restaurant that serves country cooking and a convenience store with the coldest beer in town.
Good people live there, and most apparently enjoy life in a town of fewer than 1,000 residents.
Others are fortunate to be given the opportunity to move on, to make a name for themselves and, in a sense, the town that raised them.
Stillmore is the town where Washaun Ealey, the University of Georgia’s starting tailback and 800-yard rusher last season, grew up.
No doubt this little hamlet swelled with pride when a son was offered a full ride to the state’s flagship college. Really now, how often does that happen?
For now, though, that opportunity appears off track, at least as it relates to Ealey running between the hedges. Few in Bulldog Nation should have been surprised by the vague announcement UGA made Monday — that Ealey had been granted an unconditional release. Mutual decision, they called it.
“I’m a person where I want to be a premier back,” Ealey reportedly said after news of his departure.
“If I was to play here, I would have to have had to share the backfield with Caleb [King] and Carlton [Thomas] also. Then they were going to give the freshman, Isaiah [Crowell], his chance. He probably was going to get some carries at the beginning of the year, too. I just felt like I didn’t want to be in that mix of things anymore.”
As a Bulldog, this athlete had some good games. But touchdowns scored and yards gained pale in comparison to off-the-field exploits.
He’d been suspended from team activities at least twice in the past seven months. He was suspended indefinitely in February for missing an early morning disciplinary run. He missed last season’s opening game because of an arrest for the hit-and-run of a parked vehicle, and driving with a suspended license.
There’s one thing you can count on when you grow up in a small South Georgia town — and I know because I am the product of one that sits miles from Ealey’s roots.
These communities may appear country, rinky-dink, boring and slow-moving, but its residents typically pull for a local boy, or girl, to prosper on a grander stage.
In Ealey’s case, it’s safe to wager there were probably dozens, if not hundreds, of relatives, friends and acquaintances — even some of the envious ones — pulling for his success. Light up the scoreboard. Shatter a few records. Become a fan favorite, be respected on and off the field, be the next Herschel Walker.
And I bet a simple message with a heartfelt request was often intertwined with the attaboys, handshakes and accolades he garnered for being a star athlete.
Don’t waste an opportunity. Keep your grades up, your nose clean. Do the right thing. Make us, make Stillmore, proud.
It’s not too late.
Rick Badie, an Opinion columnist, is based in Gwinnett. Reach him at rbadie@ajc.com or 770-263-3875.
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