ATHENS, GA.---Late last Friday afternoon, an area thunderstorm forced the Bulldog football coaching staff to cancel a scheduled practice. This required the team to double up on practices on Saturday, necessitating that certain plans be changed and requiring Remarcus Brown to miss a wedding in which he was supposed to be a participant.
On Friday afternoon, an aggravated Mark Richt commented: "It's just a royal pain to have to deal with this kind of stuff. It would be nice to have a little indoor facility nearby where you wouldn't have to spend your whole life trying to figure out a new plan. It's very frustrating, it gets very old and I'm about tired of it. Maybe one day we'll get that done."
In the aftermath of this ill-considered outburst, Coach Richt issued a subsequent statement, in which he explained:
First I am very proud to be at the University of Georgia. I have poured a lot of my life and energy into this program and I'm thankful every day for where God has placed me. I'm also thankful for the leadership of our University, Athletic Association, and Athletic Board.
Friday's comments regarding the lack of an indoor practice facility were a knee-jerk reaction to a series of events that happened throughout the day ending with the cancellation of practice due to a storm in the area.
When I actually read my comments late in the day on Saturday I was very disappointed in what I said and the way I said it. It appeared to be someone who was ungrateful for what he had and that is certainly not the case. For that, I want to apologize to President (Michael) Adams, (athletic director) Damon Evans, and the Bulldog Nation.
I am very blessed at UGA and Damon and I have a great working relationship. In fact, we have been working together in planning a project that will provide a major facility improvement.
I want to end by saying that this statement is heartfelt and I was not asked to make it by anyone other than my own conscience.
Unfortunately, this is not the only recent instance of Coach Richt flying off the handle and making impromptu remarks which he later recognized were unwise.
On a recent weekday morning, Coach Richt got up early to cook breakfast for his wife, Katharyn, and their children, Jon, David, Zack, and Anya. When the Richt family came into the kitchen and sat down at the table, Coach Richt attempted to carry a tray of juice, eggs, bacon, toast, and homemade waffles from the counter to the breakfast nook.
While Coach Richt was crossing the kitchen, a paper cup of orange juice fell from the tray and spilled on the floor. Coach Richt looked down at the mess and exclaimed, "Well, shoot! I guess that's a fine how-do-you-do, now, isn't it? I reckon I should have made two trips, doggone it, or maybe just carried the dadgum tray with both hands instead of carrying it one-handed like some fancy-pants waiter or some dang thing. Maybe one day I'll learn."
Seeing the aghast reactions of his wife and children, Coach Richt drafted a prepared statement, which he read to his family at supper that evening. He said:
First I am very proud to cook breakfast in this kitchen. I have poured a lot of my life and energy into being able to make waffles from scratch and I'm thankful every day for the kitchen in which God has placed me. I'm also thankful for the leadership of my wife, Katharyn, in politely pointing out to me that it is inappropriate for me to use such coarse language in anger in the presence of impressionable young children, two of whom were orphans living in the Ukraine before I adopted them and who deserve better than to be brought to America just to learn that kind of nasty talk.
This morning's comments regarding my inability to carry a tray filled with a scrumptious breakfast across the kitchen without spilling something were a knee-jerk reaction to a series of events that happened throughout the morning, including some problems with mixing the batter just so the way my grandmother taught me when handing down the Richt family recipe to me.
When I actually replayed my comments in my head later in the day today I was very disappointed in what I said and the way I said it. It appeared to be someone who was ungrateful for the eggs, bacon, toast, homemade waffles, and five unspilled cups of juice that he had and that is certainly not the case. For that, I want to apologize to Katharyn, the kids, and the Bulldog Nation.
I am very blessed in this kitchen and my family and I have a great working relationship. In fact, we have been working together in planning a project that will reduce dramatically the number of juice spills we have in our kitchen, even when a klutz like me is carrying a tray from the counter to the table.
In order to make it up to everyone, I ran by the store on my way home and picked up a fresh carton of orange juice, which is in the refrigerator right now. You can all help yourselves as soon as I'm done apologizing. While I was at it, I also purchased a second carton of orange juice, which I took to the local homeless shelter. I poured a series of paper cups and delivered them one by one to the less fortunate and I am proud to say that I didn't spill a drop or curse.
I want to end by saying that this statement is heartfelt and I was not asked to make it by anyone other than my own conscience.
Rival S.E.C. coaches Urban Meyer, Phillip Fulmer, Les Miles, and Nick Saban were unavailable for comment regarding Coach Richt's recent inappropriate remarks, but his mentor, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, expressed disappointment.
"Dad blame it," exclaimed an exasperated Coach Bowden, "didn't I teach him not to talk any better than that? You reckon he kisses Katharyn with that mouth?"
Go 'Dawgs!