I am not going to honor the AJC hate boards with any links. I will just tell y'all some facts. Commings was arrested for domestic violence this morning at approximately 9AM and is in jail without bond until a hearing. The lady involved is apparently his girlfriend.
From Coach Richt, "I'm aware of the situation and in the process of gathering necessary information....However, any time a student-athlete is arrested it is a matter of serious concern."
A few points to remember. Commings has not been before a judge, and has not been convicted. Let's stick with the facts. Also, Coach Richt has been very strict and quick with discipline, after the facts and case was clear. Domestic violence is a serious as heck issue and there is no doubt Coach Richt won't take it lightly, but the judicial process does have to take place. Dawgsports sends its prayers to all parties involved.
0 recs | 31 comments
Very sad.
Obviously, the facts all need to come out first, but if this is as bad as it sounds he should be dismissed immediately.
JoeDawg15 - January 21, 2012 via mobile
Dismissed immediately.................really
JRL - January 21, 2012
"as bad as it sounds" - this is the talk I want to prevent.
There are no facts or statements other than his arrest and waiting on bond. In domestic violence type cases the police tend to arrest first and ask questions later to keep everyone safe and create separation of parties. That’s where we are at right now.
You can’t say “the facts need to come out first” and then say “dismissed immediately”. It’s contradictory. This ain’t the AJC.
The judicial process will handle this with due process, and when that is settled, Coach Richt will make, as he always has, the appropriate decision on any punishment, suspension, dismissal.
tankertoad - January 21, 2012
Agreed
saying let the facts come out, and then determining punishment before those facts come out, is contradictory at best.
It’s disappointing to say the least, but as he’s shown time and again, Mark Richt will handle this swiftly and appropriately once he has the facts.
Either way, we need to recruit an elite CB or two in the coming week.
Mr. Sanchez - January 21, 2012
Absolutely.
Let’s not forget that Odell Thurman was suspended due to a zero tolerance policy following a domestic incident in which the police said they wished they could’ve arrested the other party involved, rather than Odell.
We know far too little at this point to pass judgment, either way.
T Kyle King - January 21, 2012
The other party was also a UGA student athlete in that instance
and bigger than Odell.
Mr. Sanchez - January 21, 2012
I feel I adequately qualified my statement.
Also obviously, I hope he is innocent, both for his sake and the young lady’s. I’m a little sensitive on the domestic violence issue, given the way certain SEC East rivals have handled it in the past.
JoeDawg15 - January 21, 2012 via mobile
It's worth noting that this is a misdemeanor charge...
… and, according to the quoted police report, he hit her once, while being partially restrained by other people. (And we don’t know the circumstances that provoked him even into that response.)
Now, you ain’t gettin’ me to justify hitting a girl in any way, shape, or form. There is no excuse for it, and it has no place in our society.
With that said, however, even with a lapse in judgement like this, it seems a little rash to dismiss a kid from the team for a misdemeanor charge that stems from one strike that occurred in the heat of the moment of a domestic squabble.
And we still don’t have all the facts, as several players have apparently recently tweeted. Let’s wait to see what Coach Richt does. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that Mark Richt isn’t light on the discipline, and doesn’t treat his best players any differently from the scout team guys when it comes to discipline. He’ll make the appropriate move.
vineyarddawg - January 21, 2012
I agree with you completely.
One hit in the heat of unknown circumstances isn’t very serious. Very serious. It is a misdemeanor, not a felony. Yet, a crime is still a crime, from jaywalking to murder, it is a crime, and he’ll have to do the time.
I trust Coach Richt completely with all disciplinary issues regarding players. I trust his judgement and his decisions completely, all the time.
ChopMaster - January 21, 2012
Seth has some more details...
it’s not sounding too good. Several witnesses are alleging that he slapped his girlfriend in the face on the corner of Broad last night.
hailtogeorgia - January 21, 2012
I will put Seth's link in the OP. Thank you.
tankertoad - January 21, 2012
Why am I not surprised Seth's report is a million times better than Chip Towers?
tankertoad - January 21, 2012
Thanks, hailtogeorgia.
The rules on this are simple: You don’t hit a girl, period. Walk away if you have to, but you don’t hit a girl.
I didn’t particularly appreciate Seth’s final line there, by the way. Second “known” arrest in four months? Two unrelated incidents, one in October and one in January, are the only such incidents involving Georgia football players since October 2010, and, all of a sudden, we’re back to this “out-of-control program” crap, with a subtle and unsubstantiated insinuation that there may be arrests we don’t know about yet?
Let’s deal with the emerging facts of a single incident, rather than speculating about the big picture.
T Kyle King - January 21, 2012
Emerson is pretty terrible.
This isn’t good news. Law folks (I know there are many): what exactly is simple battery? I thought that was just about anything minor. I thought a closed-fist punch to the face would be battery (not simple battery).
So… is simple battery a slap or maybe shoving her face? I’m just curious what the possibilities are. She could’ve hit him first, I’m sure, but the guy always gets arrested in these cases.
Really sucks, though.
DocSkraynj - January 21, 2012 via mobile
Time to quote some statutory language
The key element differing among the three types of battery in Georgia appears to be the amount of harm inflicted. If I punch you, that’s simple battery. If I punch you and cause a black eye, that’s battery. If I punch you so hard it severely disfigures you (or somehow deprives you of use of your body), it’s aggravated battery.
The984 - January 21, 2012
Thanks, The984.
Hitting someone—-particularly a woman—-is a big deal, but the nature of the charge suggests that, as these things go, it’s as small a big deal as it can be. This is significant, but probably not disastrous.
T Kyle King - January 21, 2012
That's exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks.
DocSkraynj - January 21, 2012 via iPhone app
Doc....
I agree with Kyle that Seth Emerson’s line about “known” arrests wasn’t a great choice, but I think he’s pretty good in general. Just my opinion of course and it’s possible that I’ve missed some silly stuff that he’s written….there is quite a bit of silliness out there after all, but I think he does his job pretty well.
The Quincy Carter of Accountants - January 21, 2012
Just personal preference I suppose.
He tends to irritate me. The bar was set high by Ching and Hale. Emerson just isn’t as good as they were.
DocSkraynj - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Few are, that's no slight on Seth
Mr. Sanchez - January 22, 2012
You got that right.
Personally, his attitude kind of grates on me. I understand that he’s trying to be “snarky” sometimes, but it doesn’t come off as “entertaining snarky.” It’s usually more like “looking down the end of my nose at you” snarky.
vineyarddawg - January 22, 2012
+1
TrboDawg - January 22, 2012
I'm wondering..
what might be the punishment from CMR about this? I’d have to imagine something like Commings being suspended for the first 3 games, but then again, domestic violence is much more serious than something like a failed drug test. I would be surprised if he was dismissed.
ChopMaster - January 21, 2012
The last similar incident involved Montez Robinson . . .
and was a two game suspension for simple battery (family violence) and destruction of property. The details in Seth’s blogpost are certainly not helpful. I’m going to guess 3 games, plus whatever he gets from University judicial (which would likely include anger management classes, community service and university probation).
And while it’s not as significant in the grand scheme of things, I think we now know what the first topic of discussion will be during Commings’ interviews with NFL personnel folks in about 14 months. He better start working on his answers now.
MaconDawg - January 21, 2012
There's a cancer that has been infesting our program...
… and now it’s spreading to the defense.
#FireMikeBobo
vineyarddawg - January 21, 2012
He was at the basketball game today.
And our offense was nonexistent for the entire first half.
Coincidence? I think not.
DocSkraynj - January 21, 2012 via iPhone app
I was going to hide this comment...
… because I wrote it about 5 minutes before the news about Joe Paterno came out, and now it sounds crass and grossly inappropriate. I was simply trying to carry forward a long-running gag, but that doesn’t change how it comes across now.
I’ve decided to leave this un-hidden for now, though, because even editors should have to own up to their dumbassed-ness sometimes. I want to apologize for making the comment, however. It was wrong.
vineyarddawg - January 21, 2012
Don't sweat it, vineyarddawg.
I did something similar when I set a posting to go up on Aaron Murray’s birthday, stating that it was a great day in college football history . . . on what wound up being the day Joe Paterno was fired. Accidents of timing occur. We understand.
T Kyle King - January 21, 2012
no worries
Maybe I’m just slow, but I had to re-read your post three times to figure out what you were apologizing for.
TrboDawg - January 22, 2012
Timing of punishment
is actually sort of important here. If I’m not mistaken, Commings could still declare for the draft (anybody know more about this in terms of whether he would still qualify). If Richt planned on booting him from the team, it would actually be in Commings’ best interest for that to be done quickly, as odd as that sounds. A year off of football, or a year playing for a DII school would probably not benefit the young man at all in terms of his future.
I’ve never thought that a single mistake like this should destroy an individuals’ future and career. It goes without saying (so why am I saying it) that it is unacceptable to hit a woman. But I’m still hopeful this is not as bad as it sounds and I’m confident Richt will handle it with the skill he’s handled all of these situations.
WindyCityDawg - January 22, 2012
the deadline for declaring for the NFL draft has passed
he might be able to apply for a waiver, but I’d doubt it and he’d probably have to go through the supplemental draft if that’s the route he chose to go down.
Mr. Sanchez - January 22, 2012
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