FAITH REWARDED

I have been silent up until now about the recent coaching upheaval on the football staff at the University of Georgia. I’ve kept quiet for several reasons. For one, I’ve tried to be respectful of all the efforts that the departing coaches made during their time at Georgia to make the program one that we could all be proud of. These men were part of a staff that led our DAWGS during arguably the greatest run in the history of the football program and that deserves my respect. However, in the end, I felt a change needed to be made.

You have not read here that I thought any coach should be fired, although I have voiced my opinion about the direction the defense was headed from time to time. I kept quiet because no matter how much I ranted or raved, it was implausible to think that any major changes would be made during the course of the season. I kept quiet because I believed that nothing I or anyone else outside the program could say would have any impact on Coach Mark Richt’s ultimate decision about the direction of his program. As it turns out, I was exactly right on this point as Coach Richt was quoted as saying that the noise surrounding his team this season had absolutely “zero” impact on his decision making process. But most of all I kept quiet because I have absolute faith in Coach Richt, both as a head coach and more importantly as a man, to do the right thing and to make the moves necessary to lead Georgia in the right direction both on and off the field and to take the DAWGS back to the top of the conference.

During the times of the greatest tumult, I had a hard time reading where others were questioning whether or not Coach Richt had the vision and the strength to honestly look at the state of his program and make the appropriate moves to achieve the type of success we all had become accustomed to during his tenure. No one bleeds for the Georgia football program more than its head coach, and at the end of the day Coach Richt made those very difficult moves that needed to be made. That too deserves my respect.

I have sat with Coach Richt in his office and discussed football and life. I have been in the meeting room with the team and I have seen his passion as he talks to recruits and tells them about the Georgia way. So you see, this is why I have faith in Coach Mark Richt. This is why I believe he is absolutely the right man to have leading our beloved DAWGS on the field. This is why I know he is the right person to guide these young men and prepare them for life after football. I am proud of Coach Richt and the program he has built and I am confident in the future of the program. I have faith that Georgia’s head coach will make the appropriate hires in the coming days and that we will all be shouting glory, glory again very soon. My faith has been rewarded at every turn in the past and I expect nothing less going forward.

GO DAWGS!!!