Sedrick Van Pran addresses off-field perception of Georgia football, accountability

It’s been a tumultuous offseason for Georgia football. Luckily, not every player has ended up on the wrong side of a headline. Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran discussed the perception of his team’s off-field mishaps at SEC Media Days.

“It starts here. Perception, unfortunately, I think, in my opinion, comes from when you make a mistake and you kind of give people a way to judge you, right?” Van Pran said. “Starting off is taking responsibility and understanding that we have made some mistakes. Don’t shy away from it. Understand it and own up to it, but then from that point, take action.”

There’s no shortage of action to be taken. Since winning the National Championship in January, five Georgia players have been arrested, four for reckless driving. Two of those incidents, involving Samuel M’Pemba and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, happened in July.

Of course, Jalen Carter’s reckless driving in January that led to a crash, killing recruiting analyst Chandler Lecroy and UGA offensive lineman Devin Willock, dwarfs all of Georgia’s other recent run-ins with the law.

Van Pran believes to stop these incidents, the Georgia players must take the initiative.

“Make sure that if a guy is in a bad situation as a teammate, that you’re taking care of him. ‘Hey, Bro, I got you. I’ll make sure you get home. Like, we’re good.’ All of those things, preventative measures, having guys, seniors, juniors standing up in front of the team and talking about what being safe and cautious really means to them,” Van Pran said.

After spending three seasons at Georgia, Van Pran’s words hold weight. Van Pran started at center in all 15 of the Bulldogs’ games last year, including the National Championship. The 6-foot-4 center was also named one of the team’s co-captains for five games last season.

Van Pran wants to honor the program that has given him so much.

“We have a responsibility to the guys that have come before us, whether they be successful businessmen or guys that have played football to, protect the University of Georgia. And I think that’s really the biggest thing is understanding that we have a responsibility to the university and some of the older guys really just speaking up about that.”

Van Pran will soon have the opportunity to honor his beloved university. Georgia will begin its hunt for the never-before-done 3-peat on Sept. 2 when it squares off against UT Martin in the 2023 season opener.