From OnlineAthens.com
July 28th, 2016 10:12 AM
The effort to impact the lives of former Georgia players after their football careers come to an end isn’t stopping after an offseason of change in the coaching staff.
Mark Richt reached out to new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart to urge him to continue the work he did when he launched the Paul Oliver Network, named after the former Georgia defensive back who committed suicide in 2013 after retiring from the NFL.
The P.O. Network now is being administered by Leigh Futch, Georgia athletics director of student development. She works with the group’s board members who help players transition into the business world after they stop playing.
“Kirby talked to Coach Richt and he’s very dedicated to the mission and what it stands for,” Futch said.
Georgia athletics has started its own career development-based initiative it calls “The Georgia Way,” that works with current athletes in all sports while they are at the school “to kind of prevent the fallout that was happening when they would leave. We have partnered up with the P.O. Network board to try to facilitate all of that on the front end and then they’re operating as a true network at this point to be able to make those career contacts for football.”
Smart spoke last week about talking to Richt about supporting the P.O. Network.
“He wanted to challenge me to continue that and of course I’m going to do that because that’s nothing but giving back to the guys I played with,” Smart said in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman.
There were visible spring events the past two years of former players coming back to Athens to see teammates and Richt. More than 170 attended last year including NFL star Geno Atkins, but no event was held this year during the coaching transition when Smart’s plate was full with the demands of his new job and after the Butts-Mehre multi-purpose room was demolished to make way for construction of a new indoor practice facility.
According to former Bulldogs fullback Des Williams, “the board wanted to be respectful of Kirby’s schedule as we knew he hit the ground running once he arrived on campus as well as working through logistics (with the facility construction).”
An event is being planned for either the fall or next spring, Futch said.
“It still remains a vital piece of our efforts here,” athletic director Greg McGarity said. “We’ve taken it in-house now. It still remains in its original intent.”
Former linebacker Brandon Burrows used the P.O. Network to land a job in real estate.
Futch said this year former football players including Orson Charles (who has since signed with the Lions), Caleb King (who has returned to school) and Vance Cuff have talked to her and she’s reached out to the network for their career paths.
Smart said that Richt “still donates money” for the P.O. Network. Georgia envisioned Richt still being involved with the network after it parted ways with him as coach, but he quickly landed as head coach at Miami.
Now Richt is starting a similar network there at his alma mater. He’s calling it the “U Network.”
He told the Palm Beach Post that his wife Katharyn “will kind of be facilitating everything,” for the network. He said the P.O. Network at Georgia did “tremendous” good.
Futch said work is going on for a website for the P.O. Network, which now has nonprofit status. It will be linked to TheGeorgiaWay.com and Georgiadogs.com. She said former player Bryant Gantt, now UGA’s director of player wellness, could become the liaison.
“The dedication is still there,” Futch said. “We’re still helping former student-athletes and current student-athletes get internships and jobs.”
...READ MORE HERE...
July 28th, 2016 10:12 AM
The effort to impact the lives of former Georgia players after their football careers come to an end isn’t stopping after an offseason of change in the coaching staff.
Mark Richt reached out to new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart to urge him to continue the work he did when he launched the Paul Oliver Network, named after the former Georgia defensive back who committed suicide in 2013 after retiring from the NFL.
The P.O. Network now is being administered by Leigh Futch, Georgia athletics director of student development. She works with the group’s board members who help players transition into the business world after they stop playing.
“Kirby talked to Coach Richt and he’s very dedicated to the mission and what it stands for,” Futch said.
Georgia athletics has started its own career development-based initiative it calls “The Georgia Way,” that works with current athletes in all sports while they are at the school “to kind of prevent the fallout that was happening when they would leave. We have partnered up with the P.O. Network board to try to facilitate all of that on the front end and then they’re operating as a true network at this point to be able to make those career contacts for football.”
Smart spoke last week about talking to Richt about supporting the P.O. Network.
“He wanted to challenge me to continue that and of course I’m going to do that because that’s nothing but giving back to the guys I played with,” Smart said in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman.
There were visible spring events the past two years of former players coming back to Athens to see teammates and Richt. More than 170 attended last year including NFL star Geno Atkins, but no event was held this year during the coaching transition when Smart’s plate was full with the demands of his new job and after the Butts-Mehre multi-purpose room was demolished to make way for construction of a new indoor practice facility.
According to former Bulldogs fullback Des Williams, “the board wanted to be respectful of Kirby’s schedule as we knew he hit the ground running once he arrived on campus as well as working through logistics (with the facility construction).”
An event is being planned for either the fall or next spring, Futch said.
“It still remains a vital piece of our efforts here,” athletic director Greg McGarity said. “We’ve taken it in-house now. It still remains in its original intent.”
Former linebacker Brandon Burrows used the P.O. Network to land a job in real estate.
Futch said this year former football players including Orson Charles (who has since signed with the Lions), Caleb King (who has returned to school) and Vance Cuff have talked to her and she’s reached out to the network for their career paths.
Smart said that Richt “still donates money” for the P.O. Network. Georgia envisioned Richt still being involved with the network after it parted ways with him as coach, but he quickly landed as head coach at Miami.
Now Richt is starting a similar network there at his alma mater. He’s calling it the “U Network.”
He told the Palm Beach Post that his wife Katharyn “will kind of be facilitating everything,” for the network. He said the P.O. Network at Georgia did “tremendous” good.
Futch said work is going on for a website for the P.O. Network, which now has nonprofit status. It will be linked to TheGeorgiaWay.com and Georgiadogs.com. She said former player Bryant Gantt, now UGA’s director of player wellness, could become the liaison.
“The dedication is still there,” Futch said. “We’re still helping former student-athletes and current student-athletes get internships and jobs.”
...READ MORE HERE...
