Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall was caught with weed last month, cited for the possession of marijuana he had not already…well, you know. Back-up Jeremy “he’s better than Marshall anyway” Johnson will get the start against the Hogs.
Meanwhile, across the state, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced the “indefinite suspensions” of blue-chippers Jarran Reed, Tim Williams and Brandon Ivory, a former starter. Reed had an amazing spring, and looked to make an impact in the trenches this fall.
Marshall’s suspension smells like the suspension of another Auburn quarterback from the Lee County past: Jeff Burger. It’s Burger who in 1987 Auburn coach Patrick Fain Dye held out for the first play of a game for academic dishonesty that would get many kicked out of their respective schools. Dye and his staff insulated their star, however, keeping him eligible for “footbawwwl Satuhdays on da plains…” You see, at Auburn, when you’re a star, apparently, you stay eligible. Doesn’t matter if not feeling the consequences of your actions is detrimental to your future and development as a person. You’re an Aubuhn man! Just win, baby!
We’re talking about a school that allowed a star running back to stop going to class for an entire fall semester, without consequence. As long as he can tote that rock, eh Aubies??
This from the university that gave us this:
“I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.”
Yep-yep. Sure ya do.
Count on the same “Burgerized” treatment for Marshall from Gustav “Boom!” Malzahn. That is a man in control. Marshall, who has worn the standard issued STFU (standing for “shut the f*** up”) bracelet during games isn’t allowed to curse on Gustav’s practice field. Let that irony mull around in your mind for a minute or two.
But, despite the iron fist Gustav rules with, about the quarterback position going forward, he wanted to eliminate any doubt:
“I will say this,” Malzahn said Friday, “Nick Marshall is still our quarterback.”
Message sent, Gustav!
Meanwhile in Georgia, they have problems with grass too. On the eve of fall camp, the Georgia Bulldogs didn’t have grass on their practice field from hashmark to sideline, on either side.
How does this happen? Did fall practice sneak up on Mark Richt? UGA crews had re-sodded the field earlier in the summer, but the roots didn’t “take”. So a shipment of lay-and-play sod was ordered for the field closest to their football facility.
Time out…
Just for one second, close your eyes and envision the scene if the grounds director walked into Nick Saban’s office and told him his practice field wouldn’t be ready the opening day of fall practice.
…okay, time in.
But there is good news for the Dawgs. The Bulldogs have two newly re-done field turf practice fields on the lower end of the Butts-Mehre football complex that they will use until they can go to work on the closer, newly re-done field.
Yes, their football complex is named the Butts-Mehre complex. So “lay-and-play” and Butts are all part of this story.
Speaking of butts, or sitting on them anyway, Georgia standout receiver Malcolm Mitchell has been sidelined with another knee injury. Mitchell will miss the first part of fall practice following an injury sustained last week running pass routes.
“It was ‘scoped’ and it was a cartilage issue,” said Georgia head coach Mark Richt, “so we’ll just see how quickly he can come back. But it’s really hard to say for sure.”
The junior from Valdosta, Georgia missed all but the first offensive series of last season after suffering an ACL injury against Clemson while celebrating a touchdown in the end zone with running back Todd Gurley. Mitchell reportedly had completely recovered from that injury and was working out full speed with his teammates when this latest injury occured.
Injuries, and a lack of defensive back coaching, hampered the Bulldogs’ 2013 season. Here’s hoping this news isn’t the start of an encore to that storyline.
(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)
But but ITK … Bama shouldn’t throw rocks in glass houses … Blah blah . Que Peachy . You think Marshall will sit out the first 4 downs or just the first play ?
I honestly think he won’t be allowed to sing the national anthem. And that’ll be the extent of it.
Having him “not start” is a meaningless punishment, which was your whole point. Now let’s see how the Aubies defend the decision.
When I saw the headline I thought Marshal had been robbed and that “burgerized” was maybe part of a statement he made.
“Somebody burgerized my apartment and took my weed!”
Meathead Mincy, the DB busted two days after speaking to the little children about the evils of drugs at a DARE event, is “not starting” either. It’s Arkansas for God’s sake. Gus must have no faith in his backups to leave himself this big of an out. Truly another classless act out of Lowdertown.
I believe Arkansas will be much improved. Two early games are very important for Auburn. The Razorbacks and then a couple of weeks later versus the Old Sage, Bill Snyder and K-State on the road in Manhattan … KANSAS. Auburn will lose one of these games.
If Gus winds up suspending Marshall and Mincy longer than the three UA players, we can expect a retraction I am sure. Think that anytime a legal issue arises, regardless of team, suspensions should be determined by the NCAA( they are supposed to be a governing body) and not left to the Coach, a la Bobby Bowden. Anytime a suspension is handed down, it should be at least 1 game. Not a fan of the half game suspension, like Manziel or DJ Hall for instance.
@ Elite Tiger
Two things:
1.) You’re spot on about suspensions. There should be a code of ethics within NCAA member institutions citing consequences to illegal activity. But the NCAA doesn’t have a good track record of enforcing much of anything, so it’d still likely be the honor system…much like ALL NCAA enforcement is these days.
2.) If Marshall is suspended longer than the three UA players you will get your retraction. However, that possibility is as likely as a polar bear walking into my kitchen tonight and baking me a tray of fresh cookies. He will be in the game against Arkansas by the 2nd or quarter, if not before. Bank it.
I’m confused. Haven’t the 3 UA players already been suspended and missed all fall practices, which is certainly more than Marshall?
Marshall hasn’t yet missed anything having to do with Auburn football whatsoever while the 3 UA players were already suspended indefinitely before the very first fall practice.
Sorry, no retraction. Deflection, but no retraction. You say the punishment should be universal, and everybody else says, “but he wasn’t even arrested.”
It’s silly but didn’t we know this was going to happen? Did anybody expect any real punishment? This is Nick Marshall we’re talking about here, after all.
It’s like being in a “time-out” for toddlers—–“Nick, you can play football, but I want you to sit in this corner and think about what you did until I say it’s time to come out, ok? Here’s your Gameboy, and remember, no biting.”
I am actually surprised it took u this long to write this article. Come on ITK you’re slipping.
@Auburn Fan
Listen…your school is such an easy target from all the bush league bull crap that you Abarn fans accept hook, line and sinker from your administration, I could literally write something new every day. Give a guy a break.
When it comes to Abarn I’m like a fat guy at a chinese buffet. Where to start…where to start…
Always with the sweet and sour chicken man!!
Did your coach take a player off suspension midway through a game because they were losing?
At least Malzahn is honest about it. I wish he was suspended for half the season but I dont make that decision. If Auburn is up big at the half he may not get to play at all.
He also has punishment thats not public; much like Saban does.
“If Auburn is up big at the half he may not get to play at all.”
Isn’t that kinda the point? It’s meaningless. I’m still guessing he’ll absolutely play no matter what.
“Did your coach take a player off suspension midway through a game because they were losing?”
No? Huh?
Besides, this is the QB position we’re talking about, no less. That’s the point—-he’s Auburn’s star player and Heisman candidate, at least at one point he was.
This isn’t LSU saying they’re putting it to a team vote. Now THAT was honest. After all, it’s not like he can be “dishonest” about it, is it? “He’s suspended for the first 9 games, but you won’t notice if I put him in anyway.” It’s incidental, that’s all. Alabama has already suspended players from practice. So far, Marshall literally hasn’t missed anything.
Yes he did and it was DJ Hall in La Monroe game in 2007. The story is in th Tuscaloosa News November 19,2007. So the thing you are complaining about, your coach has already done.
Deflect! You’re so good at that. “Elite,” even.
If I don’t talk about DJ Hall (really?) then you get mad, despite it being deflected to a completely off-topic point, not to mention completely ignoring the most relevant parts, as if we’d forget it like we all forgot 1993. Alabama lost that game, by the way. They weren’t exactly competing for a national title or a Heisman the way Auburn is with Marshall. Unreal.
If you’re comparing DJ Hall’s importance to Saban’s first Alabama team to Nick Marshall’s importance for Auburn this year (not to mention their records), deflect on that because you’re not going to like the answer.
But you already knew that, hence the deflection.
Still, maybe Saban shouldn’t have let someone say he was getting a severe punishment while only giving him a significant punishment and instead should have said he was giving next to no punishment and then following up with exactly that.
Fortunately for Auburn, Malzahn said Marshall will only miss the start of the game, so he can do whatever he wants after the first snap without punishment or anyone caring. That’s kinda the point of this article.
Again, this is Georgia’s, wait, sorry, I meant Auburn’s star QB we’re talking about here, not a wide receiver who got 30-something yards in a game Alabama lost to finish 6-6 on the season. Deflect all you want, but Alabama’s suspended players are already missing everything and Auburn’s “suspended” QB hasn’t missed even a single snap at practice. Deflect on that.
Yawn. I know you hate Auburn but do we have to have a diatribe every time?
I was answering Peachy’s question about did CNS suspend, and lift his suspension. So no deflecting was being done. It was on topic, and how do you know if I was mad or not. Hint: I wasn’t. As have already stated, this should be an across the board type suspension, that way it is not up to a coach, any coach, as to what the punishment is. And for all the talk about Saban and his punishment, he can decide at anytime they have met the obligation(if they really met it), and we would never know. That is his right to do it that way, but no other coach is afforded that right according to Bama fans. And that is a lot of garbage.
@Elite Tiger
I don’t hate everything about Auburn.
But I do hate their culture.
That’s why I don’t visit Auburn sites to try to tell them what Alabama is doing right, among other things.
The problem I have with Auburn is that they refuse culturally to ever scrutinize themselves. It’s always someone else.
This is a story about a guy who got kicked off another team for stealing from teammates being picked up by Auburn and becoming a star only so he AND AUBURN don’t really face any punishment for any other laws he breaks BECAUSE of who he is, and more importantly than that, because of what he can do.
That’s why when someone like Peachy says Marshall should be suspended half the year, I don’t get it. Nobody ever says, “hey, this is our problem, let’s try to fix it.”
Nobody says, “I wish he would take off that STFU bracelet.”
Nobody says, “I’m glad I went to all those home games in 2012.”
Nobody says, “a time-out for drugs isn’t good enough for anyone’s second strike.”
Nobody says, “let’s not punish our star player but just make it look like we did.”
Nobody’s saying that, but that’s what’s happening.
Nick Marshall literally hasn’t missed anything yet. That’s right; he hasn’t missed anything.
He hasn’t missed a second of practice.
He didn’t “miss” SEC Media days and having to answer for his arrest, sorry, sorry, his citation for illegal drugs.
That’s the rub, isn’t it?
Think about it. What if Nick Marshall was suspended just for last Saturday’s practice in Auburn? The star QB and former (?) Heisman candidate not showing up for practice because his coach punished him for breaking the law and team rules?
Or business as usual?
Nick Marshall isn’t being punished. That’s it. It’s not something to celebrate and gloat over unless you like it, that’s all. We can talk all day long about window tints, stealing, and narcotics being “not that bad,” but it’s incidental anyway, and isn’t that the point? Malzahn and Auburn don’t punish guys like Marshall—-they reward them. Be proud of your culture or do something about it.
Looks like those players harsh punishment is already over. Saban sure came down hard on them. A WHOLE WEEK from practice!
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/alabamas-suspended-defensive-linemen-return-to-practice/
I actually agree with you here. They should have been punished like Marshall and missed zero seconds of anything.
Oh crud. Wait.
Marshall will at least miss part of an SEC game. Which could come back to bite Auburn if his replacement has a few turnovers and Auburn gets behind early.
Point is if you’re going to crack on Malzahn for a weak punishment then you have to turn that finger to your own coach for having punishment that’s just as weak.
I actually agree with you here. They should have been punished like Marshall and missed zero seconds of anything.
Oh crud. Wait.
So basically nobody gets suspended from either team, at least no meaningful one. We all should be happy now.
Father Gus has it covered.
Yeah, say 10 our Fathers and 6 Hail Mary’s and ALL will b forgiven My Son…ROFLMAO…
RTR
PROTECT AMERICA, BUILD SUBMRINES
Mmmm .. Sweet and sour chicken !
So good right????
Yada Yada Yada…Bama’s players missed a whole week of fall camp…that set them way back to the third string and now they have to work their way back into the starting line up…That is a VERY HARSH punishment…Missing Fall camp practice is the worst thing that can happen to a player…It really hurts their chances of starting in the future…
Marshall did not even get a slap on the wrist…For possession of DOPE…No matter how you try and spin it shipmate…it’s still a crock of doo doo…Gus will lie, steal or cheat if he has to just to win…FACT…
There will be no punishment of the DOPE Boy…No way no how…He might miss one snap…BFD…There is NO comparison to missing a week of Fall camp to missing one snap…You Barrnterds are so full of bovine scat that your eyes are brown…SHEESH…Fookin Idiots…
RTR
PROTECT AMERICA, BUILD SUBMARINES
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