Fox calls game clock malfunction ‘unfortunate’ in statement

Mark Fox released a statement Monday on the end-of-game situation at Texas A&M, saying it was “unfortunate” his team didn’t get to play out the final possession in a proper manner.

In Georgia’s 63-62 loss to the Aggies on Saturday, a malfunction occurred to the belt pack an official wore that keeps the game clock. With time winding down on Georgia’s final possession, the clock became stuck on 5.6 seconds. Thinking there was more time left in the game, the Georgia possession took longer than the actual time allowed, resulting in the contest ending.

Fox’s full statement:

“In this instance, please understand there is no way for me to appease all parties. I realize our fans and, most importantly, our players are frustrated. But out of respect to the SEC, I hope to address the closure of the game at Texas A&M.

“The SEC acknowledged a timing system malfunction and the mistake of not recognizing it. We fully understand NCAA rules were appropriately administered after the mistake occurred. It was unfortunate that when J.J. Frazier looked at the game clock, he saw time that evidently did not exist. It was unfortunate that our players were not able to determine the ultimate outcome of the game and play until the clock hit zero.

“The ultimate goal is fairness, which I believe everyone is striving to achieve.

“Any further questions regarding the game should be directed to the SEC.”

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Fox calls game clock malfunction ‘unfortunate’ in statement."