Todd Gurley Suspended for Violation of NCAA Rules: Latest Details and Reaction

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 29

Emily James of NCAA.org confirms when Todd Gurley is eligible to return for Georgia:

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Todd Gurley, University of Georgia football student-athlete, must sit a total of four games, or 30 percent of the season, for accepting more than $3,000 in cash from multiple individuals for autographed memorabilia and other items over two years. Gurley, who acknowledged violating NCAA rules, must repay a portion of the money received to a charity of his choice and complete 40 hours of community service as additional conditions for his reinstatement. Gurley will be eligible to play on Nov. 15. ...

... The University submitted its original reinstatement request on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The NCAA requested additional information on Friday, Oct. 24, which it received from the university on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26. The NCAA issued its decision to the university on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28.

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Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 28

Seth Emerson of Macon.com provides a statement from NCAA president Mark Emmert discussing how Georgia has handled Todd Gurley's case in an interview with The Associated Press:

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From the facts that we know today, publicly, Georgia's behavior has been commendable. They, apparently, saw something that concerned them, and they dealt with it directly and their athletic department seems to have handled that very, very appropriately based on what we know today.

When a school has information about inappropriate behavior that might render a student-athlete ineligible, then they're under an obligation to respond. If it turns out later that they did know and did have facts that demonstrated that someone was ineligible and they played them anyway, then sure those wins can be vacated and that's happened many times.

 

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Updates from Thursday, Oct. 23

Mark Winne of Channel 2 WSB-TV in Atlanta reports that the man who set off the Todd Gurley investigation, Bryan Allen, wants the Georgia football star reinstated:

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Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke with the attorney for Bryan Allen Thursday afternoon.  It's the first interview attorney Ed Garland has given regarding Allen.

'He thinks he ought to be playing football this Saturday and thinks that he should not be punished,' Garland said.

Garland said Allen only made one payment to Gurley.

'He greatly regrets that he made the one payment to him, $400, he wishes he never had. It was a one time thing, he never had any dealings with Gurley before that time or after that time,' Garland said. 'In fact he admires Gurley.'

 

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Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 22

Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph provided Mark Richt's comments on the Todd Gurley situation:

Georgia released a statement on Wednesday regarding Gurley's status:

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Since completing its initial review of the eligibility matter involving UGA student-athlete Todd Gurley on October 9, the University has been supporting Todd and cooperating with his legal counsel as they review the matter.

Todd has confirmed his desire to seek reinstatement, and the University fully supports Todd's request. The University plans to file the necessary paperwork with the NCAA later today.

'I want to thank the University, coaches, teammates, and the Bulldog Nation for their patience and support,' Gurley said. 'I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made, and I can’t thank the University, my coaches, and teammates enough for supporting me throughout this process. I’m looking forward to getting back on the field with my teammates.'

Gurley’s attorney, William King, said, 'Todd has taken responsibility for his actions and is ready to rejoin his teammates. The University has been great throughout the past two weeks and has done everything it can to support Todd. I would especially like to thank President Morehead, Greg McGarity, and Coach Richt for standing by Todd.”'

The University hopes for and expects a prompt ruling by the NCAA so that Todd, his coaches, and teammates can adequately prepare for our next game.

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Updates from Friday, Oct. 17

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald has the latest on Gurley's status for this weekend's game:

FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman has more information on Gurley's situation:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 16

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee provides a statement from Georgia on the Todd Gurley investigation:

Georgia head coach Mark Richt posted a statement on Twitter regarding Gurley's availability for this week's game versus Arkansas:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 15 

Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph provides an update on Gurley's suspension from head coach Mark Richt:

A UGA spokesman would later clarify Richt's comments via Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald:

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 14

Gentry Estes of 247Sports.com provides a statement from Georgia head coach Mark Richt discussing Todd Gurley's participation in practice:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 13

Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph has the latest on Gurley's status:

Linebacker Ramik Wilson commented on how Gurly looked via Marc Weiszer of onlineathens.com: “It looked good to see him out there, he was running hard practicing hard, still supporting his teammates."

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Georgia Director of Athletics Greg McGarity released a statement on Gurley (full statement here):

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I would like to make a few additional comments about yesterday's announcement regarding the suspension of Todd Gurley.

While we have made extensive efforts to gather all relevant facts, this is still an ongoing and obviously sensitive matter involving a student-athlete. Because of federal privacy laws, NCAA rules, and the ongoing nature of this matter, there are limits on what I can say at this time. While we unfortunately cannot get into details, there are a few things I would like to make clear to those who support the University of Georgia.

There is currently a lot of misinformation about this matter in the public domain, and many pundits are offering opinions that are based on incomplete or erroneous information.

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Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest on Gurley:

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A person familiar with the investigation of the possible violations by Georgia running back Todd Gurley told the AJC on Friday that it’s a “significant” case of the sale of memorabilia and there is a possibility that Gurley may not be cleared to return to the field this season.

Other sources familiar with the investigation say a determination of punishment should be made by early next week.

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ESPN's Mark Schlabach has more on the Gurley situation:

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A Georgia man who allegedly paid suspended University of Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley to autograph sports memorabilia has hired a high-profile Atlanta attorney.

Ed Garland, who has represented former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, former NHL all-star Dany Heatley and rapper T.I. in high-profile criminal cases, told ESPN.com on Friday that he has been retained by Bryan Allen, a sports memorabilia dealer, whose relationship with Gurley is being investigated by UGA officials.

"I do represent Bryan Allen," Garland said. "He's not going to be making any statements. Really, I have nothing else to say."

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Johnny Manziel took to Twitter with support for the Georgia running back: 

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had more from Manziel:

Original Text

The University of Georgia has suspended star running back Todd Gurley indefinitely.

The school didn't go into specifics regarding the suspension but said in a press release that an "ongoing investigation into an alleged violation of NCAA rules" is underway.   

"I'm obviously very disappointed," said Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt. "The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri."   

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports provides details on Gurley's infractions:

Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph confirms the alleged reasoning behind the suspension:

On Fox Sports 1, Feldman broke down how many games Gurley could potentially miss:

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Hearing same thing as @BruceFeldmanCFB , by the way. Story coming up shortly.

— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) October 9, 2014"

Emerson reported on Friday that Gurley would not be traveling with the Bulldogs to Columbia:

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples provides more details on a specific incident:

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SI.com has learned that a person confirmed to Georgia’s compliance office this week that he paid Gurley $400 to sign 80 items on campus in Athens, Ga., one day this past spring. The person claimed to have a photo and video of Gurley signing the items, but neither the photo nor the video showed money changing hands. NCAA rules require schools to immediately declare a player ineligible if they discover a violation has been committed. Schools may then apply for the player’s reinstatement. Reached by text message on Thursday afternoon, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity declined comment.

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ESPN's Darren Rovell reveals Gurley's estimated compensation for the signatures:

No. 13 Georgia hits the road Saturday to take on the No. 23 Missouri Tigers in a game that could very well decide the outcome of the SEC East. They are the two highest-ranked teams in the division, so the winner of Saturday's contest will have a major advantage in the divisional race. 

Heading into the week, Gurley ranked sixth in the country in rushing yards (773) and tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns (8). ESPN.com currently lists him atop its Heisman Watch for Week 7.