Georgia’s star wide receiver, A.J. Green, has been suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season after the NCAA found he had sold a game-worn jersey to a person they consider to be an agent.
As his suspension ended as of last Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State, Green was made available to the media for the first time ahead of this weekend’s non-conference game against Colorado. Speaking for roughly seven minutes, Green admitted he had made a mistake in selling the bowl jersey for $1,000 -- “extra cash” for spring break, as Green put it -- to former North Carolina player-turned-(???) this past offseason.
“I did something wrong. I deserve a penalty for what I [did],” Green said.
“Everybody makes mistakes in life. It’s taught me a valuable lesson, and it gave me time to reflect and see who really was for me personally and who was going to stay in my corner through thick and thin. ... It made me a stronger person. Just moving on now.”
Green was initially questioned by the NCAA, who apparently caught wind of the rumor by way of TMZ.com, regarding a Memorial Day weekend party in South Beach allegedly hosted by an agent. Green was cleared of any wrongdoing in that regard, but a search of his bank records revealed a $1,000 deposit that he was questioned on. Fortunately for Green and the Bulldogs, he did not pull a Dez Bryant and was forthcoming regarding the origins of the money, although admitting the sale led to his four-game suspension.
Green said he “really didn’t think about [selling the jersey] being a big deal”, although he did allow that the thought of it being a minor infraction had crossed his mind.
“When I did it, I really didn’t think [anything] of it,” Green said. “I thought it was just something minor. I didn’t think it would be anything serious when I did it. I didn’t really think it through. I just did it. And it came back, and it was a big thing. And I served my punishment, and I am ready to play now.”
And so are the Bulldogs. UGA went 1-3, including a doughnut in conference play, without the All-American in the lineup.
Green’s return won’t cure all that ails Mark Richt‘s football program, but it certainly won’t hurt the cause.
