Todd Gurley should just pack up and go home; Georgia is not standing by him
An investigation has Todd Gurley suspended indefinitely from the University of Georgia, and I personally feel Gurley should pack up his property and go home.
Gurley practiced with the Bulldogs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but it is unclear whether he practiced Thursday, but I personally feel the leading rusher of the Bulldogs should go home. The school obviously is not backing him and is automatically assuming he signed autographs for money.
He leads the Bulldogs with 773 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. In addition, he has 11 receptions and a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD. The junior established himself as a leading Heisman contender with several signature games and moments, including a school-record 293 all-purpose yards in a season-opening victory over Clemson, not to mention a hurdler-like leap over a Tennessee defender to pick up an extra 10 yards.
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell this is what happened:
One source in the autograph industry told ESPN’s Darren Rovell that it was known that Gurley was seeking between $8 and $25 per signature, charging less to an autograph dealer if he signed more pieces.
Noted autograph authentication company James Spence Authentication (JSA), meanwhile, has authenticated at least 500 Gurley signed items with certificates of authenticity, including more than 300 jerseys, more than 30 mini-helmets, more than 70 photos and even 10 baseballs and nine Nike cleats, ESPN has learned. ESPN verified the authentication through JSA’s website, which allows the purchaser of an authenticated item to type in the serial number on the card provided with the item and match it with the authenticator’s records.
Items with serial numbers L39251 to L39551 all showed up as Gurley-signed jerseys, meaning it was likely done at one time and sent in by the same person or company. Whether Gurley received money for them, however, is unknown.
Honestly, if Gurley did take the money it would be a violation, but why should the Bulldogs suspend him until they find out if it is true or not? Johnny Manziel was suspended for a half, and Gurley is suspended indefinitely for the same allegations. If I am Todd Gurley, I go home, sign an agent and began preparing for the NFL Draft. He will be drafted regardless, so at this point, I would screw Georgia for not believing in me.
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