The Domino Effect of Todd Gurley's Suspension
Georgia had been preparing for this weekend's showdown with Missouri in Columbia with an uncertain defense and a passing game that has been far from explosive, but at least it had Todd Gurley.
Well, it had Todd Gurley.
The school announced on Thursday that the junior running back has been suspended indefinitely due to an alleged violation of NCAA rules.
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"I'm obviously very disappointed," said head coach Mark Richt in a statement. "The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri."
FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman reported that the violation stems from Gurley's involvement with memorabilia brokers.
SI.com's Andy Staples reported Thursday evening that Gurley was suspended, in part, after a person told Georgia's compliance department this week that he paid Gurley $400 to sign 80 items this spring. ESPN.com's Darren Rovell tracked down someone who claims to have sold Gurley memorabilia, including authenticated autographed gloves.
The Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald reported that 248 items turned up in a search for "Todd Gurley signed" on eBay and tracked down one broker who wasn't shocked at the news.
The unnamed source said:
"It doesn’t shock me, ... When you see that kind of volume from one person it probably raises some red flags. I doubt it’s like a major guy, but there’s people on the market that have a website, but don’t have a storefront. [Those brokers] get these guys when they are in college and pay them way under what they’d have to pay them when they come out and they end up getting caught for it. If I had to imagine it’s probably something similar to the Johnny Manziel crap.
"
What does this mean for the Bulldogs moving forward?
According to 247Sports.com's Gentry Estes, $400 worth of memorabilia would cost Gurley one game, although a TMZ report late Thursday stated that Gurley was paid nearly $2,000 for two signing sessions.
Unlike the autograph scandal that surrounded former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and cost him the first half of last year's season opener, this one hits at a terrible time for Gurley and the Bulldogs.
Could he be declared ineligible and be reinstated within a 24-hour period like former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton? Theoretically, yes, but this tweet from Rivals.com's Anthony Dasher doesn't make the situation look too promising.
So where do Georgia and Gurley go from here?
Offensive Changes
Gurley's suspension couldn't come at a worse time for this Georgia team.
Fellow junior Keith Marshall came back from last season's torn ACL only to suffer a knee and ankle injury against Troy on Sept. 20. He is still a week away from returning, according to Chip Towers of the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with freshman Sony Michel being about a month away from returning from his broken shoulder blade.
Nick Chubb, it's on you.
The 5'10", 228-pound freshman is second on the team with 31 carries for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
He's the future between the hedges, but Gurley's suspension, coupled with injuries to the rest of the receiving corps, forces Chubb to be the present.
The next, obvious question is: Why can't Georgia just open it up in the passing game?
Can it?
Quarterback Hutson Mason has been far from effective this season, throwing for 137.4 yards per game—the worst mark in the conference among quarterbacks who have started every game. Richt stated this week, via Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph, that backup Brice Ramsey will see situational snaps in a similar fashion as the Vanderbilt game, when Ramsey came in for the third series of the contest.
Injured wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley could join Michael Bennett and Chris Conley in the receiving corps this week, which could kick-start that passing game.
That might not be enough, though.
Without Gurley, they better provide some high-octane-fuel additive, otherwise Georgia's offense will struggle mightily.
SEC East Slipping Through Its Fingers
There's no timetable for Gurley's return, and he could be back sooner rather than later. For this weekend's game at Missouri, though, his presence doesn't seem likely.
That may be all Missouri needs to spring the home upset and take control of the SEC East.
Richt commented on the importance of this game earlier this week.
"If we lose, we're, in essence, three games behind Missouri," he said on Tuesday. "That's pretty tough to overcome. They'd have to lose three times to give us a chance. We don't want to think about that. We want to try to get this thing and not have to worry about somebody getting beat."
Three games back with a game vs. defending SEC champ Auburn still on the docket in addition to the rest of the uncertain SEC East? Perhaps without college football's best player?
Nope.
The Georgia Dome may only be 68.7 miles away from Athens, but the Bulldogs playing in it in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 would seem like it's in a different hemisphere.
No Todd Gurley, no SEC East title for Georgia. It's that simple.
Heisman Fallout
"The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence."
That's the first sentence of the Heisman Trust's mission statement. It's a change from years past because "with integrity" used to be the final two words of that opening sentence.
If integrity and character factored in to how voters operated before, it likely won't change. If Gurley's suspension does stem from accepting benefits for his likeness, the same folks who used it against former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel last year will use it again.
In 2013, Manziel—who was embroiled in a similar situation in August of that year—was left off 642 of the 900 ballots, according to Sports-Reference.com and TomahawkNation.com.
| Jameis Winston | FSU | 668 | 84 | 33 | 2,205 |
| AJ McCarron | Alabama | 79 | 162 | 43 | 704 |
| Jordan Lynch | Northern Illinois | 40 | 149 | 140 | 558 |
| Andre Williams | Boston College | 29 | 127 | 129 | 470 |
| Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | 30 | 103 | 125 | 421 |
| Tre Mason | Auburn | 31 | 121 | 69 | 404 |
Were all of those specifically due to his autograph scandal?
Probably not. Considering everything else that transpired in the "Offseason of Manziel," it was more likely to be the straw that broke the camel's back than the issue that caused all of those omissions.
It played a part, though.
That's sad, because part of the ongoing push for NCAA reform includes more benefits for players, including different methods to get paid legally.
Rules are rules, though, and whether it's an outdated rule or not, it's still reckless for Gurley to break it if indeed he did.
Heisman voters won't let him forget it.
This is a massive suspension that will make waves throughout the college football world.
Gurley missing this game—one that will define the landscape of the SEC East—hurts his offense, his team's division-title hopes and his own Heisman hopes.
It couldn't come at a worse time.
Barrett Sallee is the Lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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