🏈 Nick Saban switches injured recruit's scholarship to grayshirt

[PhillyGirl]

http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-...aban-switches-injured-recruits-scholarship-g/

Nick Saban has asked one of Alabama’s top football commits – who is recovering from a knee injury – to delay his enrollment or take a grayshirt. Bradley Bozeman, a 4-star offensive lineman from Roanake, Ala., was officially informed of the personnel decision during his official visit to Alabama this weekend, according to multiple reports. Bozeman has been committed to the Crimson Tide since June.
"Coach Saban switched my scholarship to a grayshirt," Bozman told Rivals.com’s Andrew Bone.
"I have known about it for about two months. We have been keeping it on the down low. We didn't know for sure if that was going to be the option. It was due to the ACL injury. It will give me more time to get stronger.”
By accepting Saban’s grayshirt offer, Bozeman will not be able to sign papers with Alabama next month. Instead, Bozeman will join the team in January 2014.

 

[Bamabww]

Just another part of the process. And looks like Bozeman bought in. Win / win it seems to me.

 

[UAgrad93]

This was decided a couple of months ago and the doctor agreed that it was in his best interest. The AJC was stirring the pot yesterday with this story. They hate CNS and BAMA with a passion and will do any and everything to try to make the program look bad.

 

[Swamptick]

This was decided a couple of months ago and the doctor agreed that it was in his best interest. The AJC was stirring the pot yesterday with this story. They hate CNS and BAMA with a passion and will do any and everything to try to make the program look bad.

It's good to be King

 

[PhillyGirl]

This was decided a couple of months ago and the doctor agreed that it was in his best interest. The AJC was stirring the pot yesterday with this story. They hate CNS and BAMA with a passion and will do any and everything to try to make the program look bad.

My apologies, it came up on my Alabama newsfeed thingy so I thought I'd post it. I wasn't aware of it when it happened.

I don't really see how it paints the program in a negative light, though, am I missing something? I thought the general consensus these days was that gray-shirting is generally acceptable, and a win/win (as Bamabww stated).

 

[planomateo]

Its used to recruit against Alabama by other schools (ie, in a negative way).

 

[UAgrad93]

My apologies, it came up on my Alabama newsfeed thingy so I thought I'd post it. I wasn't aware of it when it happened.

I don't really see how it paints the program in a negative light, though, am I missing something? I thought the general consensus these days was that gray-shirting is generally acceptable, and a win/win (as Bamabww stated).

Other schools and the AJC like to point and say that BAMA and CNS will yank your scholly or grayshirt you if you get hurt so they can replace you with a better kid. It is win/win for those kids that have been hurt and had a significant surgery or those kids that physically aren't ready for the college game. Some kids though, feel they are ready and would rather play somewhere else immediately.

 

[PhillyGirl]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info, I guess I didn't think of that side of things!

 

[UAgrad93]

We have had several come through here that were grayshirted and faired pretty well. Drew Davis and John Parker Wilson were two such cases.

 

[JoshB]

Yeah I heard from some goobers yesterday on Twitter/Facebook how Saban was up to his "shady" grayshirting again lol

 

[0LDSCH00L]

It's done everywhere, it is only made an issue when Saban does it...

It sounds like it is the player's best interest to me.

The Atlanta Journal has always been anti-Alabama:

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/...ryant-sues-post-footballviolence-article.html

 

[BAMA JAMMA]

Sigh :icon_rolleyes:

 

[PhillyGirl]

It's done everywhere, it is only made an issue when Saban does it...

It sounds like it is the player's best interest to me.

The Atlanta Journal has always been anti-Alabama:

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/...ryant-sues-post-footballviolence-article.html

Agreed, it helps both the athlete and the team play to their best potential in the long run.

Just out of curiosity, what is the AJ's beef with Bama? Typical jealousy?

 

[JoshB]

It stems from the Bear Bryant days... now someone can correct me if Im wrong here... but either an editor or major contributor to AJC was involved in a couple of stories that attempted to paint Alabama and Bear Bryant in a negative light by the Saturday Evening Post in Atlanta. One about how Bryant taught "brutal tactics" after an Alabama player broke a Georgia Tech players jaw during a game, and then the infamous accusation of fixing games (in which Bryant and Georgia coach Butts sued the Post for millions) (read here: http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/03/story_ruins_magazine_not_bryan.html) People say that story really hurt Bryant and he ended up even taking a lie detector test during the whole thing. It was a massive scandal back then.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

The bad AJC blood stems from the bad blood between GaTech and Bama. Furman Bisher wrote the article about the brutality of Bama teams following one broken jaw in particular. Bisher later contributed to the SEP article about alleged fixing/shaving. He was a legendary sportswriter/editor at the AJC and just passed away over the last year or two.

 

[PhillyGirl]

Sounds like a load of jealous butthurt!

 

[JoshB]

The bad blood between GT and Bama back in the day is one of the reasons we havent played them in so long. One time Coach Bryant put on an Alabama helmet to walk thru a tunnel as a way to kind of clown the GT fans because they always threw stuff at him when he came out.

 

[bamaraider]

All I have to say is

Saban>>>Mark Richt
Alabama>>>Georgia

 

[Kirk Van de Graaff]

It stems from the Bear Bryant days... now someone can correct me if Im wrong here... but either an editor or major contributor to AJC was involved in a couple of stories that attempted to paint Alabama and Bear Bryant in a negative light by the Saturday Evening Post in Atlanta. One about how Bryant taught "brutal tactics" after an Alabama player broke a Georgia Tech players jaw during a game, and then the infamous accusation of fixing games (in which Bryant and Georgia coach Butts sued the Post for millions) (read here: http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/03/story_ruins_magazine_not_bryan.html) People say that story really hurt Bryant and he ended up even taking a lie detector test during the whole thing. It was a massive scandal back then.

It was a Punt return where the returner waved fair catch and a Bama player busted him and suffered a broken jaw, 5 missing teeth, a broken nose, blood in his respiratory system, and a severe concussion. Coach Dodd demanded a appology from Coach Bryant, he didnt get it either. There was bad blood between the two for sure.

 

[0LDSCH00L]

Agreed, it helps both the athlete and the team play to their best potential in the long run.

Just out of curiosity, what is the AJ's beef with Bama? Typical jealousy?

What they said^^^^

The AJC was to Georgia Tech what the Tuscaloosa News is to UA only much worse, especially back in those days...

July 20, 2010

Georgia Tech Leaves the SEC​

The year was 1964. Lyndon Johnson was President, the Beatles were at the top of the pop/rock world, Barry Goldwater was the Republican nominee for President. The Vietnam War was on it's way to becoming one of the most controversial periods in American history, and, after their 20th year under head coach Robert "Bobby" Dodd, The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets decided to leave the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a conference that they had been a part of since joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) in 1895.
So what happened to Georgia Tech and the SEC? What caused this massive falling out that would lead to a team leaving a conference that they had been a part of for 69 years. Georgia Tech is still listed as a founding member of the SEC.
This long and strange history, admittedly, could only happen in the South where football is king and could only happen because of a relationship between two men who are almost synonymous with the game of college football. Those two men? Paul "Bear" Bryant and Robert "Bobby" Dodd.
However, before we get to that relationship, perhaps it would be best to visit the history of Georgia Tech football, once one of the great powers of the college game. Led by coaches such as John Heisman ( you know, the guy who has a trophy named after him ) and then Bobby Dodd, the Yellow Jackets were always a prominent figure on the national scene. A program with four national championships to their credit ( more than Florida, Florida State, and a lot of other very prestigious programs, and the same amount as the Texas Longhorns ). Georgia Tech also has 5 SEC Championships, 3 Southern Conference Championships, and 5 SIAA Championships.
So what caused this very successful, very prestigious program to up and leave a conference that they were a founding member of? That story has it's roots deep in the history of Georgia Tech and Alabama and stretches back to a very personal rivalry between Alabama head coach Bear Bryant and Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Dodd.
Originally, these two men were great friends who got along both on and off the field. They reportedly had a lot of respect for each other. However, that all changed on a cloudy, overcast day in Birmingham at Legion Field in 1961. Late in the game, which Georgia Tech lost to Alabama 10-0, Darwin Holt, an Alabama player threw an elbow into the face of Georgia Tech running back Chick Granning. The blow was so hard across his face that his cheekbone was shattered and several teeth ripped out. A media uproar followed that could not even be quelled by the visit of the Alabama football player to the Atlanta hospital where the Georgia Tech player was recovering.
The media continued to call for punishment, including publishing frame by frame photos of the incident. Bear Bryant, stubborn as ever, was reported to have remarked that he would take care of his own player and discipline him appropriately. He made it clear that the Atlanta media was not going to tell him how to run his team. While there is some debate about whether the Alabama player was disciplined or not, Dodd and Bryant, who had once been great friends, stopped talking after that game. The following season ( 1962 ) the Jackets managed some degree of revenge against the Bear and 'Bama with a thrilling 7 - 6 win over an undefeated Tide team up to that point in the season. Chick Granning was an honored guest of the Jackets and sat on the Tech bench during the game. In 1963, a two-loss Tide team beat Tech 27 - 11. In June of 1964, Georgia Tech officially withdrew from the Southeastern Conference. The series between Alabama and Georgia Tech was discontinued after a 24 - 7 Tech loss to another undefeated Tide team on November 14, 1964. For all practical purposes, this closed out any long-term rivalry series between Georgia Tech and Alabama.
Bobby Dodd insisted there was no other reason he left the SEC, other than the 140 Rule. The 140 Rule stated a college program could only have 140 football and basketball players on scholarship at any one time. The teams were allowed to sign up to 45 players a year, but could not exceed the 140 Rule. Dodd would not allow any of the football players choosing Tech to be dismissed from Tech, because they were not good players. Dodd said, “it is not the recruits fault for not making the squad, it was the coaches fault for misjudging their talents”. If a recruit came to Tech, he would stay on a football scholarship until he graduated. Dodd would sign about 30-32 players a year to meet the guidelines, but the other schools in the SEC were offering 45 scholarships a year. Those players, not good enough to fall under the 140 Rule, had their scholarships withdrawn and sent packing before the end of each year. Dodd insisted, the recruiting of athletes by this method amounted to nothing more than a tryout for a scholarship.
Dodd thought it unfair and would not withdraw scholarships from his players. He wanted the SEC to limit the amount of scholarships to about 32 per year. This would keep the other schools from offering 45 scholarships, picking the best, and sending the rest packing.
A vote was to be taken by the presidents of the colleges on the issue, and Dodd made it clear, Tech would have to leave the SEC unless the rule was changed. Dodd said he would live with 10, 20, 30, 40, or even 50 recruits per year as long as he did not have to chase any of his players off.
The presidents were split six for Dodd’s position and six against. Bear had promised Dodd he would get his president to vote for Dodd’s position, which would have changed the rule.
When the meeting was held, Bryant did not show up and the Alabama president voted against Dodd’s position and the 140 Rule was upheld. Tech’s president immediately walked to the podium and announced Tech was withdrawing from the SEC. Bryant never told Dodd why he reneged on his promise.
While there are some people who still believe that Georgia Tech left the conference because of that debate over scholarship allocation and the treatment of student athletes, many old SEC fans will tell you that Georgia Tech left because Dodd did not want to play Bryant year in and year out. Between 1965 and 1977, Georgia Tech was an independent team. While Dodd envisioned Tech eventually being the Notre Dame of the South and playing a national football schedule, Georgia Tech never reached the glory days of their time in the SEC.
Dodd left Tech in 1966, shortly after pulling them out of the SEC, and Tech struggled in the three years following his departure. They went 4-6 in each of those seasons. While there would be some success, such as a 9-3 record in 1970, Georgia Tech went 85-53-3 during their time as an independent. They never reached their goal of becoming the Notre Dame of the South.
However, in 1975, there appeared to be a making up of sorts between Coach Bryant and Coach Dodd. Bryant told Dodd that Alabama would personally sponsor Georgia Tech getting back into the SEC. While Dodd was grateful, he stated that the Mississippi schools would never allow Tech back into the SEC. Why the Mississippi schools, you ask? Well that begins another interesting chapter in this story ( I told you it was twisted! ).
Apparently, during this period in SEC history, teams were not required by the conference to play certain schools like they are now. During the 30 years that Georgia Tech was in the SEC, let's look at their history with the Mississippi schools.
Ole Miss and Georgia Tech played in 1946, in Atlanta, and in 1953, in New Orleans in the Sugar Bowl. Against Mississippi State? Between 1933 and 1963, the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets never played a game against each other. According to legend, Dodd felt that Georgia Tech was too good to have to travel to places like Oxford and Starkville to play football games, so he never would agree to play the Mississippi schools.
From the history that has been presented above, it now becomes obvious why the Mississippi schools would block Georgia Tech, even when Bear Bryant was willing to give in. Finally, in 2008, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State squared off, ironically enough in Atlanta, with Georgia Tech winning the game 38-7 in the first meeting between the schools since 1929. In 2009, Georgia Tech Ground out a 42 - 31 win in Starkville. This was the Jackets first ever football trip to the state of Mississippi. There are no future plans to play Mississippi State again at this time.
What about Ole Miss and Georgia Tech? They haven't played since a 41-18 Rebel win in the 1971 Peach Bowl and are not listed on each other's future schedules at this point.
So what happened between Georgia Tech and Alabama? The series was renewed between 1979 and 1984, with Alabama winning 4 of the 6 matchups. The two teams have not played since that last game in 1984, however, and do not appear on any future schedules between the two teams.
What started with a personal rivalry between two of the SEC's most famous coaches had now escalated to something much greater. The history between Georgia Tech and the SEC is one of the most twisted stories in the history of college football yet, for some reason, it is often ignored and has gone largely unnoticed in the greater histories of college football.

http://cecilbuffington.com/catalog_40.html