I have a great way to honor the Coach Richt Era of Georgia Bulldog football. I should have it ready late today or tomorrow. Not sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have putting it together. But it has certainly helped me focus on his importance to this program, both on and off the field.
Because of the format I'm using for that post, some things I wanted to say are getting left out. But they're important enough to bring up as I sift through social media, my own feelings, and my own experiences.
First off, the only people that can piss me off more than gator fans, are Georgia "fans" that won't even acknowledge facts. It's like they're so caught up in specific stats (and to be perfectly fair, their own factual evidence) and their own viewpoint, that they can't even recognize what this man meant to the program and the University and the community. You would think that they'd all be new to Georgia, but some of these guys are my age. They should remember what it felt like to lose to Auburn consistently and lose three in a row against Tech. I mean, you'd think Mark Richt kicked their puppy or something.
Next, and here's where I think I'm truly in a minority, you can support the program first and foremost while also believing that Richt shouldn't have been fired. I see all these Facebook groups and Twitter accounts that, at least on the very surface, represent a group of people that put the man himself above the program. That's as dangerous as it is wrong. Don't get upset that Richt was let go just because you love the man. Look, I love him too. But he ain't hurting. We've made him wealthy beyond his dreams and he's going to make some other program better off and the world a better place too. Get upset if you're like me and feel that after what he's built, the man had earned the chance to see at least one more season of full financial and administrative support. More importantly, we had earned the chance to see that.
Last, is anyone else feeling down about how this played out and saying goodbye to someone you've grown to admire for the last decade and a half, yet excited about the future? I don't care if I'm alone there as well. But if you feel that way too, I want you to know that's okay as well.
Hey y'all, Go Dawgs!
