Kirby Smart, Wife Mary Beth to Donate $1M to Support Social Justice at Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs head football coach Kirby Smart and his wife, Mary Beth, are donating $1 million "to their alma mater to support UGA Athletic Association's new social justice program and create scholarships for senior student-athletes whose final seasons were impacted by COVID," per Brett McMurphy of Stadium.

Smart released a statement regarding the donation, per Jake Rowe of 247Sports.com:

"Mary Beth and I are where we are because of the University of Georgia, so we feel a duty to give back to the university that opened so many doors for us, brought us together and brought us home. The current moment presents unique challenges for all of us, whether that's dealing with the ramifications of this pandemic or acknowledging and addressing racial inequality. We hope this gift can fuel positive change in both areas."

Georgia's director of athletics, Greg McGarity, said in a statement:

"Coach Smart and Mary Beth, from their student-athlete days to today, have been exemplary Georgia Bulldogs, and this gift is yet another demonstration of their strong commitment to UGA. Their commitments will enhance the athletic and life-skills training our football student-athletes receive, maintain our high standards for diversity and inclusion, and ensure that senior student-athletes derailed by COVID-19 face no financial barriers to return and finish their Bulldog athletic careers."

This comes after Georgia quarterback and current Detroit Lion Matt Stafford, and his wife, Kelly, gave $1.5 million to the school in August, with $350,000 of that donation going toward the new social justice program, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN. 

"Just trying to figure out what the best way to make an impact is and we've done some work here in the Detroit area," Stafford said. "And wanted to do some work back where we spent our college years, and obviously Georgia was starting, thinking about starting this program, and we were obviously extremely happy to be a part of it."

Smart, 44, has served as Georgia's coach since 2016, going 44-12 in that time with four bowl appearances and a trip to the College Football Playoff title game in the 2017 season, where the Bulldogs lost to Alabama. He also spent four seasons with the Bulldogs as a player from 1995 to 1998.