Update on the Basketball Suspensions

"Hey, class is over there."

Josh Kendall confirms that all the basketball suspensions are related to the Bulldogs’ new academic policy, which prescribes penalties for missing class and other academic appointments. UGAsports.com and the AJC also provide details. Per DawgPost.com:

UGAA Attendance Policy

Class attendance policy:
1st absence = reported to head coach.
2nd absence = reported to head coach and chief administrator for that sport.
3rd absence = suspension for 10% of competition dates and meet with AD.
Each subsequent absence = suspension from an additional 10% of comp. dates.

Missed appointments policy:
1st miss = reported to head coach
2nd miss = fined $10 and reported to coach and chief administrator for that sport
3rd miss = additional $10 fine and reported to head coach and AD
4th miss = addnl. $10 fine, and parent notified
5th miss = addnl. $10 and suspension from 10% of competition dates

And lest anyone rip on Damon Evans' new attendance policy here. All they had to do was show up to class and study hall. That's it. They only had to show up. The attendance policy was designed to keep kids eligible and on pace to graduate. Does it work? Per ESPN:

Georgia officials say the policy deserves credit for a strong academic showing this spring. For the first time, more than 50 percent of Georgia's student-athletes had 3.0 or better grade-point averages in the spring semester.

Also, when compared with last spring, there were far fewer dropped classes and a sharp increase in credit hours earned -- 954 this spring, compared with 770 last spring, according to Ted White, Georgia's director of academic services.

And here's the real kick in the nuts. Per the AJC, the suspensions aren't necessarily finished:

"If you're wondering about the timing of it, I wasn't comfortable talking about it before because there's still a month to go before the season starts. [UGA's academic policy is] always there. It's cumulative, so there could be more games for these guys and it could affect another guy. [pwd: emphasis added] But I didn't feel comfortable waiting any longer. Of course, I'm hoping this is the last of it."

As I understand it from the chart above, Mercer must've missed three classes or five study sessions and then he had to meet with Damon and Felton about it. It's a 29 game regular season, so each offense starting with the third class missed or fifth study hall missed is a three game suspension (ie: 10% of the season).

So after meeting with Damon and knowing that he's hosed if he keeps ditching classes and/or study hall, he misses four more classes or four more study halls (after the initial first 2 classes or 4 study halls he was allowed to miss without punishment) in order to earn that 15 game suspension (aka almost 50% of the season). Stay classy Mike Mercer.

To me it shows a complete lack of respect for Dennis Felton and for your teammates to get busted for violating the policy multiple times after the first suspension and after meeting with the Athletic Director.

There are still 8 more weeks left in this academic quarter.

I have no idea how next semester impacts the policy. All I know, is that Dennis Felton cannot say with any credibility whatsoever that "he's hoping this is the last of it" when we've already got two star players violating the rule multiple times *after* their initial suspensions.

Maybe I'm screwing up the math, but I don't see how.

PWD

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