Mark Richt offers light-hearted regret about couple of events from his time with Georgia football

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ATHENS, Ga. — Mark Richt made a surprise return to the Georgia coaching podium on Monday. And he used his chance to make a light-hearted, and unexpected, reference to a couple of high-profile events during his tenure: the A.J. Green and Todd Gurley scandals.

Kirby Smart was due to begin his weekly news conference, but when he got to the podium, he announced that first there would be a special, unannounced guest. Smart turned to his left and smiled, and in walked Richt, the man who preceded Smart as Georgia’s coach.

That was the same room and podium where Richt held his weekly news conferences before being fired in 2015. Now the two coaches, with 231 wins and four SEC championships at Georgia between them, were sharing the stage for the first time.

Richt is now retired, and fighting Parkinson’s disease, which was part of the reason he was there. He brought forward his granddaughter, Jadyn, who has Crohn’s disease, and Richt announced a bowling event on Oct. 18 to help raise research money for Parkinson’s and Chron’s diseases. Georgia players will participate in it, bowling for charity at an Athens bowling alley — five players for each team — and the winning team will get a belt.

That’s when Richt got funny.

“Back in my day, they’d get thrown in NCAA jail (for the winning team getting a belt),” Richt said, as Smart and media members laughed. “Believe me, they’d have a two-game suspension for being honest and fessing up to it.”

Kirby Smart, left, and Mark Richt have 231 wins and four SEC championships between them at Georgia. (Seth Emerson / The Athletic)

Green and Gurley were suspended four games by the NCAA — in 2010 and 2014, respectively — after confessing to violations that are no longer infractions. Green sold his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000, and Gurley sold autographs. At the time, Richt did toe the Georgia and NCAA line. But on Monday, he sounded a different tune.

“If I had to go back and do that again, it’d be lie and deny,” Richt said. “Prove it two years after your eligibility’s up.”

Smart and others in the room — media members who covered those stories, Georgia officials who were around for them — kept laughing.

Richt went on to offer more details of the fundraising effort: So far the group has raised more than $500,000 and is shooting for at least $750,000. The event is closed to the public but will be streamed on the DawgNation website. Georgia players will be participating during the Wednesday of their bye week.

Richt, who is again living in Athens, has been back to Georgia: Two years ago, he was honored at halftime of the Missouri game. Smart and Richt have been on good terms, Smart having been on Richt’s staff in 2005, and Richt attended the team’s first national championship celebration after the 2021 season, never showing much, if any, bitterness toward the school that fired him after 15 years and two SEC championships.

When Richt got to the podium on Monday, he began by congratulating Smart on Saturday’s 27-20 win at Auburn.

“I know how hard it is to go to Auburn and beat them guys,” said Richt, who was 5-3 at Auburn as Georgia’s coach.

Richt then also complimented Smart for how he’s doing in general.

“I know you coached 101 now here, 86-15 by my math that’s better than 85 percent. Two national championships,” Richt said. “They’re putting me in the Hall of Fame here in December. But you’re already in; they just haven’t announced it yet.”