Autographs are in the news. Stories are popping up all over the Internet alleging that Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel brokered his signature for money. Same thing with South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.
But it takes little more than a quick Google search to determine that there is autographed merchandise for sale on Internet sites such as eBay from Georgia players such as Aaron Murray, Todd Gurley, and Keith Marshall. Right now you can go on eBay and buy a signed 8x10 photo of both Gurley and Marshall for “$99 or best offer,” the seller writes.
That, UGA contends, doesn’t mean any NCAA rules have been broken.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said the Bulldogs are aware that products are being peddled using the names of their players. But he said UGA has compliance personnel who monitor the sell and trade of autographed merchandise and make sure that no bylaws have been compromised.
“We have (players) who are friendly,” Richt said Wednesday afternoon. “If they’re at the grocery store and somebody says they have a picture and asks them if they’d mind signing, our guys I’m sure sign it. … (But) they know they can’t do anything for money.”
The sale of autographs or autographed merchandise has long been an issue at Georgia, as it is at most major college athletic programs. Signs are posted on the property of the Butts-Mehre football complex telling fans they’re not permitted to seek autographs on the premises. And last year for the first time, Georgia did not allow fans to bring in items to be signed by players at the Picture Day for fans. In years past fans were allowed to bring in no more than two items to be signed, and before that it was a relative free-for-all.
“That’s probably part of the reason for that,” Richt said.
Of course, Georgia has been burned by unauthorized merchandising in the past. In 2009, wide receiver A.J. Green was discovered to have sold his Liberty Bowl jersey to an individual for $1,000 and was suspended from competition by the NCAA for four games. Manziel and Clowney are said to be facing similar punishments.
It makes for a far-reaching band of gray area between maintaining amateurism in college athletics and compensating players beyond the academic scholarship.
Richt said that UGA, along with the rest of the SEC schools, supports a “cost of attendance” stipend for players, which has been proposed to the NCAA.
“And we were ready to go further than that,” he said. “But we think that’s the best shot of getting more money into the hands of our players.”
Georgia’s Garrison Smith says some sort of supplemental compensation for players is necessary.
“To be honest, it’d make it a whole lot easier,” said the senior defensive lineman. “With our busy schedules, the life of a student-athlete is very hard. We don’t have time to have a job because we’ve got study hall, got practice, got to do homework, study for tests, and you’ve got to study for your games. The reality of the situation is players have families. Some have kids. They want to buy a gift for their mother. That takes money, and some of these players have decided to take it into their own hands, and they make some bad decisions in order to get some money.”
But letting players sell their autographs or uniforms won’t work, Richt said.
“I just don’t know how it could work where it didn’t become so hard to manage,” Richt said. “If you just said, ‘OK, everybody can sell their stuff,’ you can just imagine what that might turn into and how problematic it could become.”
Tired scrimmage: The Bulldogs' held their first controlled scrimmage of the preseason Wednesday at Sanford Stadium. The practice was closed to reporters, but feedback was lukewarm at best.
“I think we started out a little sluggish,” senior tight end Arthur Lynch said. “We were trying to keep up with our tempo on offense, and I’m not sure we did a good job of that. But the skill and the talent is evident, and I think there are a lot of things we’re doing well, like running the ball. The biggest thing we’ve got to do is finish plays.”
Richt said he thought the Bulldogs “looked tired.”
“I think they were trying to fight through it,” he said. “But for the first time I didn’t see much juice, and that was a little disappointing to me quite frankly.”
Based on statistics and post-scrimmage interviews, it was a good day for Marshall, who had a 75-yard touchdown run; cornerback Sheldon Dawson, who had two interceptions and returned one for a score; and Jordan Jenkins, who had three sacks and a team-best six tackles.
But it was a bad day for Murray, who threw three interceptions. The fifth-year senior was 13-of-18 overall for 198 yards and one touchdown passing. As a group Georgia’s quarterbacks threw six interceptions.
Backup quarterback Hutson Mason, working primarily with the No. 1 offense, did not have any picks. He was 12-of-18 passing for 197 yards with one touchdown. Gurley had 59 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown, and freshman tailback A.J. Turman added 36 yards on five carries, a 7.2 yard average.
Etc.: Georgia's list of injured players grew to a preseason high of 19 on Wednesday. Wide receiver Michael Bennett (hamstring) and strong safety Corey Moore (knee sprain) were the latest additions. But Richt has said the majority of the injuries are minor and most of the players should return within a few days. … Guard Watts Dantzler was able to come back and practice from a leg contusion, and Dawson played on a bruised knee.
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