Georgia football's internal leadership speaks out on speeding issues
ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart isn’t shying away from Georgia’s well-publicized issues on the highways. He’s not blaming it on Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities putting players in cars that are more powerful than ever. He’s not calling out the reporting on the issue.
The seventh-year head coach, in a press briefing on Tuesday attended by invited reporters, says that the Bulldogs haven’t done enough at this point to get through to players. He and has staff have tried, they’ve educated, and they’ve sent reminders galore to try and get their players to be safer on the roads. None of it has worked in the months after Chandler Lecroy and Devin Willock, beloved figures in the Georgia program, lost their lives in a horrible car crash on January 15.
But something happened recently that Smart hopes will make a difference. When the team reconvened after July 4, an unnamed team leader spoke up.
“We had a leader on the team that I won’t mention that stood up talked about how hurt he was and how it bothered him,” Smart said, “because Devin was one of his closest friends and teammates, and the loss of Devin and Chandler in such a tragic accident, how much it bothered him, how personal it was.
“Very moving,” the Georgia head coach continued. “Still to be determined to have an effect. I think it’s critical we improve that. I was very pleased to see the ownership of the team, because that’s the kind of kid you’ve got to try to address it to the team.”
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Steps have been taken. Smart says the Georgia State Patrol has visited with the team to discuss the dangers of speeding. Other meetings, ones that feature other experts on the subject, have taken place to try and hammer home the point.
Between the speeding issues and the reports, ones Georgia has refuted, of permissible culture in Athens, other teams have tried to capitalize. Smart told reporters Tuesday that other college programs, per his counterparts, are having the same issues. He also said that programs are trying to use it against the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail and that it’s backfiring more often than not.
There seems to be some truth in that as Georgia has 26 commitments and the nation’s No. 1 class in July. But success on the recruiting trail, upcoming SEC Media Days, and the start of preseason camp aren’t enough to distract Smart or his program from the speeding and reckless driving issue. He wants that fixed.
“How do we change things to not have [speeding tickets], I don’t know that we can ever eradicate speeding I don’t know that that’s possible but I’m going to damn sure try,” Smart said. “I’ll try my best because I don’t think what we’re doing right now has been effective enough.”
