Georgia's A.J. Green Speaks Out On Recent Suspension

A.J. Green, having just served out his four-game suspension for selling his Independence Bowl jersey to an agent or agent-like substance, was made available to the media Tuesday for questions. Beleaguered Georgia fans, you're just going to love how the NCAA fell backwards into investigating your show pony:

Green said he was told the investigation started when the NCAA heard a rumor that he might have attended a Miami party sponsored by an agent (not Hawkins).

"I didn’t know anything about it," Green said of the party. "When the NCAA told me about it, they said they heard it from [website] TMZ. [The NCAA] just heard it was a rumor, so they came down here and asked me."
[...]
"I guess when they couldn’t find [anything] on that trip, they went back and found this," Green said.

If ever aliens were to land in America and demand to know why this fair nation should be saved from obliteration, TMZ and its ilk would be a strong argument for telling them to just torch the place. That said, Green did cop to being aware of what he was doing, so argue against the rule itself all you want, but don't think he didn't understand what was at stake:

The star receiver did not deny knowing that selling the jersey was against NCAA rules, saying he "didn’t really think it through" and "everybody makes mistakes in life."

Of the four-game suspension, he said: "I did something wrong. I deserve it, a penalty for what I’d done."

Green returns to action Saturday for a crucial road trip to Colorado, as the Dawgs try to avert a gruesome early-season slide.

Georgia star A.J. Green's appeal to shorten his four-game suspension has been denied by something called the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee.

Green was suspended for selling his jersey to an agent-like substance and will miss the Dawgs' crucial home stand against Arkansas and a potential trap game at Mississippi. He'll return to the team for the road trip to Colorado Oct. 2.

The discussion continues over at SB Nation's DawgSports, where they are just THRILLED TO DEATH with this turn of events.

Mark Schlabach, who is generally reliable about these sorts of things, is reporting that, contrary to previous speculation, the NCAA hasn't heard A.J. Green's appeal today to shorten his four-game suspension.

This may explain why Mark Richt was confused at a Wednesday press event when asked how the appeal had gone. Georgia fans can take some small consolation remembering the rapid resolution of Jeremiah Masoli's appeal in Week 1, but this is still cutting things awfully close, gameplan-wise, leading up to the Dawgs' crucial early tilt with Arkansas on Saturday.

And speaking of Georgia fans, drop in on SB Nation's DawgSports for more on this and all your Bulldog-related news needs.

According to sources familiar with the ongoing NCAA investigation and appeal of Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, former North Carolina defensive back Chris Hawkins met Green through his facebook page and claimed that he was a financial advisor and memorabilia collector. Green eventually ended up selling Hawkins his used Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000.

Hawkins also is being investigated for his role with alleged rules violations involving current Tar Heels:

According to a source familiar with the investigation, Hawkins contacted several sports agents about their interest in representing North Carolina players in the NFL draft.

The source said North Carolina players told NCAA investigators Hawkins arranged for the players to meet with at least two agents: Peter Schaffer of All Pro Sports & Entertainment in Denver and Kevin Conner of Universal Sports Management in Atlanta.

Obviously, even if Green didn't get solicited for anything else but the jersey from Hawkins, he would have at some point. But we will probably never know. Maybe Nick Saban was on to something... 

A.J. Green released an apology today over his actions that led to a four-game suspension for selling a jersey. Georgia blog DawgSports isn’t so sure A.J. is the one who owes anyone an apology.

A mistake—-a mistake; one; uno—-was made, the money was paid back, and he sat out for one game. That is a punishment proportional to the affront, particularly if Marcell Dareus got a two-game suspension for twice as many contacts and twice as much profit. Benching A.J. Green for two games would be a stretch, but at least it could be argued with a straight face that it’s reasonable.

A four-game suspension, however, is unfair, disproportionate, and overkill. The NCAA is punishing Green as though he did the things he was accused of doing and that the investigation leaves us to conclude he did not do. As with the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of last year’s LSU game, Green has been flagged for an offense the replay does not show. This is not justifiable, and this should not stand.

A.J. Green doesn’t owe Bulldog Nation an apology. The NCAA does.

The University of Georgia has released statements from A.J. Green and Mark Richt on Green's four-game suspension, under the most helpful headline ever, "A.J. Green's Playing Status Clarified."

Green:

I want to apologize to my coaches, teammates, and the Georgia fans for the mistake in judgment. I very much regret all that has taken place and the distraction that's been caused. I've learned a valuable lesson and hope others can learn from my mistake. I can only focus my attention now on practicing and looking ahead to getting back with my teammates as quickly as possible.

Richt:

Certainly I'm disappointed with the outcome. However, we have games to play and that's where our focus needs to be in the coming days and weeks. Other players will have to step forward and I'm confident they will do that.

Barring some reversal, Green will return for the Dawgs' Oct. 2 date at Colorado.

For more on this and all things Georgian, visit SB Nation's DawgSports.

Rumors that the NCAA would clear Georgia's star wide receiver A.J. Green in time for Week 2 appear to have been premature: Green has been handed a four-game suspension for selling a jersey to a person with questionable agent-like characteristics. Via Bulldogs Blog, here's the NCAA statement on the decision:

The university declared the student-athlete ineligible for violations of NCAA agent benefits rules. According to the facts of the case submitted by Georgia, the student-athlete sold his Independence Bowl game jersey to an individual who meets the NCAA definition of an agent. Green has repaid the $1,000 value of benefits to charity. According to NCAA rules, an agent is any individual who markets or promotes a student-athlete.

SB Nation's DawgSports, it should be noted, saw this coming a couple hours ago, and laments that the appeals process is already underway at Georgia with a quickness that may not save them:

Last Saturday's season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette reportedly will count as the first game of the suspension, the remaining three games of which will be served during the Georgia Bulldogs' upcoming contests against South Carolina, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. I am informed that Green is scheduled to return for the Bulldogs' game against Colorado on October 2. I am told that the University will appeal, although it is unlikely that the suspension will be reduced, and, obviously, no reduction could come in time for this weekend's game in Columbia.

Comparisons are about to start flying fast and thick. Jeremiah Masoli's clearance will be invoked. More and more folks will start to wonder why the university can make money off Green's name but he cannot. What Georgia fans need to worry about immediately, however, is the speed of the appeal. South Carolina and Arkansas are two of the most difficult hurdles on the Dawgs' 2010 slate, and the fourth scheduled absence for Green, at Mississippi State, has high trap-game potential.

Follow this story as it unfolds, here and on SB Nation's DawgSports.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach provides some insight into the Great A.J. Green Jersey Sale of 2010.

A person familiar with the NCAA investigation told ESPN.com that Green did not sell his jersey on e-Bay and received less than $1,000 for it. The source said Green has been forthcoming and honest with NCAA investigators, but added there were "some twists and turns" involved with the case.

Now that we can eliminate two of the thousands of possible marketplaces for and prices of Green's jersey, I suppose we ... have learned absolutely nothing about whether or not Green will be eligible to play for Georgia against South Carolina.