DESTIN, Fla. — In Florida, it’s Urban Meyer’s way or the highway. It’s a sentiment Mark Richt understands, but he isn’t taking things quite so seriously.
Meyer drew attention for critiquing former players at a recent fan club meeting, saying that if they were loyal to the Gators, they wouldn’t publicly criticize anything the team does.
Meyer has the luxury of a national title to quell any potential criticism, but Richt found himself mired in it last season following ugly losses to rivals Alabama, Georgia Tech and Meyer’s Gators. But whether it comes from fans or former players, Richt said he takes it all in stride.
“There’s calls I made that I don’t like,” Richt said. “I look back and say, ‘I wonder why I did that.’ So it’s not something I worry about.”
Meyer’s comments appeared to have been directed at former Florida quarterback Shane Matthews, who criticized the team on a radio show after it lost to Mississippi in September. At a Gator Club meeting, Meyer said any players who spoke out against the program would no longer be welcome in the team’s football facilities.
“If you want to be critical of a player on our team or a coach on our team, you can buy a ticket for seat 37F, you’re not welcome back in the football office,” Meyer said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “You’re either a Gator or you’re not a Gator.”
While Richt said he can’t recall specific complaints from any former players, although a number of them work in media roles similar to Matthews and are routinely required to offer opinions on the team. Critiques of the team’s performance last season, particularly that of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, were wide ranging, and while Richt was quick to defend his players and coaches, he didn’t directly attack his critics.
It comes with the territory as a head coach, Richt said, and while he would certainly prefer any former players come to him with complaints, he has no plans to rule with an iron fist.
“You would rather that your guys not do that,” Richt said, “but if they had some kind of issue or something, you’d like them to just come and see me about it.”
NO BIG DEAL ... YET
Georgia is closing in on a new deal for its marketing and media rights with ISP Sports, and an agreement could be reached within the next few weeks, associate athletics director Alan Thomas said.
The deal was first reported in March and could be worth up to $10 million annually. Georgia’s current contracts with multiple rights holders expire June 30. Georgia’s current contracts generate about $8.3 million annually, according to the Sports Business Journal.
“We’re moving right down the track,” athletics director Damon Evans said. “We don’t have a signed deal with them yet, but it’s imminent.”
Evans said he didn’t anticipate the new contract would create significant changes for the school, but it would allow Georgia to increase its media presence in multiple platforms.
“Same dimensions, just a different rights holder,” Evans said. “Now there will be some new twists from a multimedia rights to get ourselves more exposure. I don’t know all the details, but one thing is we’re trying to brand ourselves better and get more people to see the University of Georgia.”
FAIRLY FOND FAREWELL
After more than a year of fighting his way back onto the field, wide receiver Tony Wilson’s Georgia career ended abruptly this month with the news that he had received a medical disqualification and had been found in violation of team rules.
The parting ways with Wilson, who would have been a fourth-year junior in 2009, won’t have a significant effect on the team in terms of production — he had just one catch last year — but he had long been one of the most vocal players in the locker room and had spent significant time working with the coaching staff last season has he recovered from an ankle injury.
Richt refused to comment on Wilson’s future beyond the medical disqualification but said there were no hard feelings on his part.
“He’s still one of my very good friends, and he’s going to stay that way.” Richt said.
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