Maurice Smith-Gate; SEC grants waiver to UGA w/ strict guidelines and penalties

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

kirby smart needs to realize that Coach Saban and the University made him and never forget that.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

crimsonaudio said:

That's what I've been saying the whole time - Smith can't assume they have a scholarship available, there has to be communication. That collusion alone is not only offensive, but blatantly against the rules. If this is the way Smart is going to operate, then I wish him the worst.

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That's what I am thinking here. He has to know the rules and the fact that he hasn't spoken out on the rules part makes his judgement questionable.


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Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Some say Kirby is just playing to the Georgia faithful, but he's also putting himself in a dangerous position. To begin with, for all of the hype surrounding Kirby, none of us really have any idea what he'd be like as a head coach. Nick Saban has had plenty of assistants that either were head coaches or went on to become head coaches, and we really have an idea how some of them run things. Heck, Nick Saban has multiple former head coaches on his staff at this very moment. Kirby Smart's resume right now basically consists of being loyal, and knowing how to run Nick Saban's defense.

The rest of what makes him look good, the defensive and recruiting success could very well be a bi-product of being around Nick Saban. So yes, he has something to prove, but part of that is that he's not an inept leader. There's also something to the notion that Nick Saban's offensive coordinators might be better head coaches than his defensive coordinators. The real question is if Kirby is helping himself at all in this?

Sure, he's getting the faithful fired up, but to what end? I seriously doubt other SEC coaches are backing him on this, do they want to start coaching guys up in their system, to see them run to another SEC program once they graduate? If this was to become common, it actually seems like a net loss, as they'd be introducing multiple new players to their system every year, while losing players they coached for several years (not to mention some concern that the players would share information). I think most coaches in the SEC would prefer to just keep their guys in most situations.

This can really blow up in Kirby's face though. He wasn't high profile enough to get a major backlash for blocking out of the SEC transfers, but if anyone bothered to bring that up he'd already look really hypocritical. The payment will come due when he has players wanting to transfer after the season, he'll have very little justification for blocking any transfers, after taking such a high profile position which runs contrary to the long standing practice of both blocking in-conference transfers and his own practice of preventing players from following coaches.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Cecil nails it...as usual.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

KrAzY3 said:

The payment will come due when he has players wanting to transfer after the season, he'll have very little justification for blocking any transfers, after taking such a high profile position which runs contrary to the long standing practice of both blocking in-conference transfers and his own practice of preventing players from following coaches.

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Not being disagreeable just for the sake of disagreeing but Kirby was specifically talking about players that have graduated being able to transfer at will. Also, the rule blocking Maurice is an SEC rule, not an NCAA rule. My personal opinion is there should be no rules blocking athletes who have already received their degrees from transferring. In Maurice's case I think the fact he has attempted to blackmail the Alabama family via the media is reason enough to throw him under the bus. However, I really wish the SEC would revisit this rule soon and modify it. It's petty to block a graduated student.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

crimsonaudio said:

That's what I've been saying the whole time - Smith can't assume they have a scholarship available, there has to be communication. That collusion alone is not only offensive, but blatantly against the rules. If this is the way Smart is going to operate, then I wish him the worst.

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Although it prolly won't happen I still hope CNS gets to stripe his legs in Atlanta REAL SOON!

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

bamamc1 said:

kirby smart needs to realize that Coach Saban and the University made him and never forget that.

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I'm sure he does. He is playing to his constituents now and I suppose he feels that is beneficial to his "tough guy" image for the Georgia fans. But don't you know that Nick has called him on his cell over the past couple of days and given him a heated lecture? Has Kirby said anything in the past couple of days?

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Im_on_dsp said:

Not being disagreeable just for the sake of disagreeing but Kirby was specifically talking about players that have graduated being able to transfer at will. Also, the rule blocking Maurice is an SEC rule, not an NCAA rule. My personal opinion is there should be no rules blocking athletes who have already received their degrees from transferring. In Maurice's case I think the fact he has attempted to blackmail the Alabama family via the media is reason enough to throw him under the bus. However, I really wish the SEC would revisit this rule soon and modify it. It's petty to block a graduated student.

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You are aware that Kirby Smart blocked transfers to Miami right? That's out of conference transfers, generally allowed by the NCAA and the SEC and he blocked them. You say petty to block grad students (even in conference, which I think is a rule just about any conference enforces for good reason), ok so what do you call blocking transfers to Miami? Kirby Smart's stance is hypocritical based purely on his actions. The idea that oh well he'd let guys to go Miami if they graduated is pure hogwash, Kirby has a policy in place against following coaches! And guess what Maurice Smith is trying to do? Your personal opinion has nothing to do with what I said, what Saban said, or what Kirby said, I'm talking about what Kirby said and did.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

He graduated AFTER fall practice had begun...and again why let a player go to a team that you MAY face in the SEC Championship? It doesn't make sense? Are the Cubs going to give the Rangers a SS right before the WS? Nope...(Wishful thinking for all Cubs fans!)

CNS is 100% correct, and if MS' mother hadn't gotten involved in the first place, without his knowledge/consent, he'd be starting in the nickel package and this would not be a deal! Tired of hearing about this living in Ga.

24 days!!! RTR!!!

Im_on_dsp said:

Not being disagreeable just for the sake of disagreeing but Kirby was specifically talking about players that have graduated being able to transfer at will. Also, the rule blocking Maurice is an SEC rule, not an NCAA rule. My personal opinion is there should be no rules blocking athletes who have already received their degrees from transferring. In Maurice's case I think the fact he has attempted to blackmail the Alabama family via the media is reason enough to throw him under the bus. However, I really wish the SEC would revisit this rule soon and modify it. It's petty to block a graduated student.

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Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Waaayyy too much of that in CFB right now, getting out of hand. But you're absolutely right CA, that's a recipe for a lifetime of taking your ball and going home to Mom...sad...

crimsonaudio said:

When a grown man needs his mommy to fight his battles for him, it doesn't bode well for him succeeding in life.

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Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Im_on_dsp said:

Not being disagreeable just for the sake of disagreeing but Kirby was specifically talking about players that have graduated being able to transfer at will. Also, the rule blocking Maurice is an SEC rule, not an NCAA rule. My personal opinion is there should be no rules blocking athletes who have already received their degrees from transferring. In Maurice's case I think the fact he has attempted to blackmail the Alabama family via the media is reason enough to throw him under the bus. However, I really wish the SEC would revisit this rule soon and modify it. It's petty to block a graduated student.

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Graduate transfers can't transfer at will even outside of the SEC. They have to get a release from their current school and the current school can restrict them to going specific schools if they want to. most of the time they do put restrictions on it having to be out of conference. They're just able to transfer and play right away instead of having to wait a year.

Texas Tech restricted Brewer a few years ago in an even more bigger manner - no schools in conference, no schools in TX and no schools on the schedule for the next few seasons. That's pretty big for a kid who grew up in TX to be prohibited from playing at any school in his home state regardless of if TT played them.

All the SEC has done is made all member schools have the same rule about in conference transfer restrictions.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

KrAzY3 said:

You are aware that Kirby Smart blocked transfers to Miami right? That's out of conference transfers, generally allowed by the NCAA and the SEC and he blocked them. You say petty to block grad students (even in conference, which I think is a rule just about any conference enforces for good reason), ok so what do you call blocking transfers to Miami? Kirby Smart's stance is hypocritical based purely on his actions. The idea that oh well he'd let guys to go Miami if they graduated is pure hogwash, Kirby has a policy in place against following coaches! And guess what Maurice Smith is trying to do? Your personal opinion has nothing to do with what I said, what Saban said, or what Kirby said, I'm talking about what Kirby said and did.

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My personal opinion is just that, my opinion. I realize it's not shared by everyone else. However, the facts are that Kirby made a public statement expressing his opinion that graduated players should be able to transfer. That statement is not hypocritical vis a vis his Miami ban unless those players he was blocking included graduated players. Look. I'm not defending Kirby, I could care less about him. I'm just trying to point out the difference between undergraduate player transfers and players who have already received their degree. Most people here seem to think there should be no difference in policy. I am of the opinion that someone who has earned their degree has also earned the right to play where they want. Simple as that.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

LSU AD agrees with Smart on the transfer policy. Sounds like not everyone is on board with this policy.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

I'm sure every SEC coach would be completely fine if Nick Saban went out and got Chad Kelly, Jalen Tabor, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin to transfer to Alabama over the summer as graduate transfers.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Im_on_dsp said:

the facts are that Kirby made a public statement expressing his opinion that graduated players should be able to transfer. That statement is not hypocritical vis a vis his Miami ban unless those players he was blocking included graduated players.

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When did you start doing PR for Kirby? Does it pay well?

His statements were entirely in context of Maurice Smith. Ok? Let's make sure we're clear on that, he was asked about Maurice Smith. Now, why did Maurice Smith want to go to Georgia? To follow a coach. That's why he wanted to go. The fact that he's a graduate is incidental. The NCAA has a rule that lets them play immediately after a transfer, but this does not supersede a policy a coach has in place against following coaches does it? Why would it? The players Kirby was blocking from going to Miami would have had to sit a year (an option Maurice Smith has right now by the way)! They were not going to get a waiver even if Kirby granted their transfer, but he blocked their transfers entirely! So, clearly Kirby Smart is against players transferring to follow coaches!

Now, you explain to me the justification in your mind, and your logic and rational that says player A can not transfer at all, even out of conference, but player B can go anywhere he wants, leave anytime he wants, even in conference and play immediately. Changing schools isn't that big a deal, I plan on doing it before I graduate, but you seem to basically be pushing a position that says only graduates really should be allowed to transfer where they want, and everyone else is screwed if they want to change schools. Or, you concede Kirby is a hypocrite, it's one or the other...

To make things really simple for you, when it served his purposes Kirby exercised his right to say you can transfer but not to that school. Nick Saban did the same thing, he says Smith can transfer, it was all set up for him to go Miami and play immediately, but he couldn't go to that school. That is what happened in both instances. The difference is that Kirby is all for blocking transfers when it serves his purposes, and against it when it serves purposes.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

It's simple---Alabama has fulfilled their obligation in that he got a scholarship that paid for his degree along with other perks. He agreed to play football, keep himself academically qualified among other things. He has not completed his part of the contract and when offered an early out on his contract he has refused those conditions. Break a contract , pay the penalty or shut up. The pros will also take notice how much a signed contract means to this young man. KS needs to mind his own house and keep his nose outta the old neighborhood's business. Sounds like Ricky Williams and the Dolphins, yes he wanted to quit playing , but the other shoe dropped in that he had to repay the contract. Dolphins 1 Dope 0.

Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Saban a few minutes ago in his presser:




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Re: Maurice Smith Transferring; Alabama will not grant release to UGA

Is MS enrolled anywhere? Anyone know?